When in Rome
by Earlie Birdie
Summary: She wasn't stupid. She knew what she was doing and what she was getting herself into. They both did. AU. Taang. One shot.


_**A/N:** _Oh my goodness. You need to hear the story behind this. This was previously an '_Avatar: The Last Airbender_' story, but as soon as I posted it up, I realized that it didn't quite fit into that category. I was too lazy to change it and I just opted for ignoring it so that I wouldn't be tempted to change it.

But, insomnia's a funny thing, huh? Haha! So, I changed the coupling and the category, only to realize that this was _definitely_ a Taang story. -_- Sorry to those of you who previously read this story, but I've made some changes. Anyway, this is kinda personal. I was going through some stuff and decided to write it all out. Hope you enjoy!

_**UPDATE 8/9/13: **_Made some changes and added some stuff because I felt that it was incomplete and it just wasn't where I wanted it to be. So, please bear with me and I hope that you still like it. :)

_**Rated M**_ 'cuz we've got some sexy thangs going on up in herre. This is your warning. Don't read it if it makes you queazy.

_**Disclaimer: **_This is a fan fiction website. -_crickets_- Haha!

* * *

When in Rome

* * *

___She wasn't stupid. She knew what she was doing and what she was getting herself into. They both did._

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Beifong were very particular about their daughter, Toph Beifong's, future. Since birth, they had every aspect of her life planned out for her: where she would go to school, who she would become friends with, what she would wear, when she would take over the family business, so on and so forth. It was safe to say that once their daughter grew old enough to grasp the concept of independence, she also grew tired of their controlling tendencies. They told her that they only did this because they loved her, but once she turned 21, she couldn't take it any longer. She needed to break free.

It was a late summer's night during which Toph couldn't sleep. Strangely enough, she was feeling incredibly impulsive. She didn't know if it was because she was bored or because she had that rebellious streak in her that psychologists claimed the child of strict parents developed. She graciously accepted the fact that it was a combination of both.

She grabbed her cell phone and checked the time. _2:54 AM_. She would be fine. She dialed a number and waited for the dial tone.

_"Hello?"_

Toph grinned at the ceiling. "You sound horrible."

A snort. _"No duh. You woke me up in the middle of the night."_

Toph bit her lip. Maybe this was a bad idea. Her parents would kill her.

_"Toph?" _Katara sounded worried._ "Toph, what's wrong?"_

No, she couldn't live cooped up like this anymore. She wanted to give caution to wind, forget that she was a _Beifong_, and have a good time. For once in her life, she didn't want to stress about the picture of perfection that her parents painted for her.

Toph swallowed her anxieties. "Katara, pack up we're going to Italy."

_"What?! When? How did you even-"_

"We're leaving tomorrow."

_"Toph, you cannot be serious-!"_

"We're staying until the new school year begins."

_"That's the whole summer! We can't just leave the country for five months! I was going to take summer classes-!"_

"Gotta go pack."

_"Toph! Don't you dare hang up!"_

"Hurry up before I punk out."

A sigh. Then, a scoff. _"Since when did Toph Beifong get so ballsy-"_

The phone clicked.

They hopped on a plane the next day once her parents had gone to work. It was a punk move on Toph's part, but leaving the country for five months without telling her parents was already bold enough. It wasn't like they would notice that she was gone any time soon, anyway.

She shook that thought off and looked at Katara sitting beside her. She was surprisingly compliant with this idea. Maybe she needed to get away, too.

"You're lucky that this is first class."

"The perks of being a Beifong."

Once they set foot on Italian ground, they didn't waste any time. They didn't look at any of the main attractions, try any of the foods, or take any pictures. They were so spent and exhausted that they went straight to the small apartment that they rented. They didn't even make it to their rooms. They crashed right onto the living room floor beside their luggage.

Katara closed her eyes. "You're also very lucky that I'm so tired."

Toph grinned tiredly as she shut her own eyes. "Don't I know it?"

And they fell asleep.

_**.**_

The next morning, they found a small restaurant called _"The Dancing Dragon"_. Katara thought that it was so authentically Italian and Toph was starving, so they went inside and sat at a table.

Katara gushed as she snapped pictures of the small building. "Isn't this place great? The architecture here is so classic."

Toph smiled at her friend. "For someone who wasn't so hot about this idea, you sure are getting into it."

Katara shrugged with her own smile before she snapped another picture. "When in Rome."

Toph propped her elbows up on the table and set her chin in her hands. She observed the building. She had to admit that the architect in her was intrigued. Then, her stomach growled. "Where's the food?"

"I don't know, but that guy over there finds you pretty delectable."

Toph raised a brow. "Where?" She made a move to turn before Katara reached across the table to stop her.

"Don't look! He's still looking," she whispered. "Toph, he's eating you _up_."

"Katara, you're being stupid."

"He's not bad looking, either. Neither is his friend."

Some eye candy, huh? "How cute?"

Katara's expression grew a bit giddy. "Gorgeous."

Toph sat up. It wasn't every day that the word _gorgeous_ was used to describe a man. "Can I turn around now?"

"Not yet. I'll tell you when he turns around."

Toph gave her a look. They couldn't possibly be that good looking. "What do they look like?"

Katara sat up excitedly and leaned in a bit. "They're both tall, have great bone structure, and look athletic. One has dark hair that covers one of his amber eyes." Toph rolled her eyes. Katara seemed to be enjoying this a bit too much. "The other's bald."

Toph made a face. "_Bald_?"

"You wouldn't be saying that if you saw him," Katara continued. "He's got gray or hazel eyes. I think that he has a tattoo, but his shirt is covering it. He's got a beautiful smile. Actually, they both do. Toph, they're gorgeous." She bit her lips and made a sound. "I wouldn't mind learning Italian from them."

Great. Now, Katara got the fan girl in her worked up. "Can I turn around now?"

"I don't think you'll need to."

"Why not?"

Katara sat up and fluffed her hair. "Tall, bald, and handsome is making his way here in three, two-"

"Buongiorno, ladies." _Good morning._

They both looked up to see a young man standing before them. Toph had to admit that she was a bit starstruck. Katara was right about everything. The bald head fit him perfectly and he had a beautiful smile. His eyes, contrary to what Katara said, weren't gray or hazel, most likely because she couldn't see them very clearly from her seat. They were bright and kind eyes of a transparent, silver color.

Toph bet that he was even better up close. She looked at Katara and found that she thought the same thing.

"I'll be your waiter for today," he said with a smile.

Goodness, he had a bit of an accent, too. It was very small and barely detectable, but Toph heard it.

Katara was the first to regain control of her mouth. She smiled. "Hello."

He raised a brow. "Do I detect an accent?"

Katara laughed. "Yes, we're visiting from America."

He grinned and Toph could have sworn that she saw Katara's cheeks grow a bit pink under her own excited grin. Shameless woman.

"I hope I'm the first," he said jovially. "But, I welcome you both to Italy. What are your names?"

"I'm Katara." She sat up with a slight grin.

He nodded with a smile before he looked to Toph. "And you?"

Geez, he really was eating her up with his eyes. He was definitely the type to wear his heart out on his sleeve. She almost shirked away from his gaze, but she met his eyes. "Toph."

His grin dissolved into a gentle smile. "Ciao, Toph. I'm Aang," he said softly. "Welcome to Italy."

She felt her own smile growing. "Thank you."

Katara crossed her arms. "I didn't get my own personal welcome."

But, they didn't hear her. Toph felt like she should have looked away, but she couldn't find the strength.

"Oi, Aang! You're supposed to be taking their order, not having eye sex!"

Toph immediately looked away and Aang looked at the culprit. "I was getting to that, alright?!" He looked back to the ladies and handed them the menus.

Toph went straight for the menu. She couldn't believe that she was just staring at him. His eyes were just captivating. But, he _was_ staring back. It would be rude to just look away like that. She was just returning the favor. She smiled to herself.

Aang, who seemed to recover from the embarrassment, save for his red cheeks, cleared his throat and looked back to Toph. "So, how long are you staying?"

Toph turned a page in her menu.

He looked to Katara.

She kicked Toph's shin.

Toph sat up and glared at Katara. "What?" When Katara nodded at Aang, she looked up and found him looking at her expectantly. Oh. He was waiting for _her_ to answer. "Five months."

His eyes brightened. He seemed to like that answer. "I will see you here every morning, then?"

She opened her mouth to answer and Katara stepped in. "Yes, you will." She smiled at her.

Toph shook her head and went back to the menu. She needed food, not a matchmaker.

Aang looked at Toph, then to Katara.

Honestly, the girl wouldn't know a good opportunity if it was standing right in front of her. And it was. Literally.

Katara kicked Toph's shin.

Toph slammed her palms onto the table and stood. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She ignored the whispers and giggles. When Katara nodded towards Aang again, she suddenly felt self conscious. _Oh_. He was waiting for _her_. Again. She straightened up to face him.

He seemed to find this amusing. "I just wanted to take your order."

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and she just wanted to smack that stupid smile off of his gorgeous face. But, she couldn't help the smile that was slowly growing onto her face and his own widened. He sure was a jolly fellow, wasn't he? "Get us your best meal."

He took their menus with a smile. "That won't be a problem. And don't worry about paying. It's on the house." He did a bit of a bow before he walked off.

Toph sat down, smile still in tact. She looked at Katara. She was giving her a look and she had to admit that it was making her uncomfortable. "What?"

Katara smiled a secret smile and looked off to find Aang's friend looking at her. He nodded with a smile and hers grew. "When in Rome."

_**.**_

They went to the restaurant for breakfast every morning, as they promised him, and he was always their waiter. It was some time during the middle of the first month that she found herself learning a bit more about him and how different they were from each other. He was kind and gentle while she was abrasive and hard. He was carefree and his feet would probably never touch the earth if he had wings while she was stuck on the ground. He was a bit too nice and a bit of a pushover while she liked teasing him for it.

It was a bit difficult at times for them to get along with each other, but it made for good conversation and they balanced each other out. Even though they only saw each other in the mornings for breakfast, she still liked the time spent with him. It was a little weird how comfortable she had already gotten with him after only one month, but he was becoming a good friend and companion to both her and Katara.

They were exploring the town one day before they found a small boutique. Katara sat in a chair reading and Toph looked through the racks. She didn't know what Katara's problem was. They were on vacation. She could put the books down for once in her life.

"When do you think he's going to ask you out?"

Toph looked at Katara. That was random. "What?"

"Aang," she emphasized with a motion of her hands. "When do you think he'll ask you out? I know that he wants to."

Suddenly, Toph wanted Katara to stop relaxing and go back to reading her stupid book. But, she was intrigued. "How are you so sure?"

Katara placed a finger in her book and closed it to give Toph her full attention. "He can't keep his eyes off of you whenever we walk in. I'm pretty sure his boss is getting suspicious. You might get him into trouble. You're pretty distracting."

Toph's jaw dropped. "I am _not_."

Katara ignored her. "Maybe he's waiting for the perfect time."

"Come on, Katara. Stop being stupid."

"Maybe you're too intimidating. Try smiling a little more. I bet he'll come crawling on his hands and knees."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. You have a beautiful smile."

Toph glared and Katara laughed. "I bet he's planning his approach right now."

Toph's glare intensified and Katara's giggles grew, but Toph couldn't help the smile that grew onto her face. As annoying as Katara was being, Toph couldn't help but wonder the same now that she put the idea into her head. But, they were just friends.

She shook her head and went to search through another rack. "Go back to your book."

**_._**

It was the end of his shift and they sat together at the girls' regular table, finishing their breakfast as they were engaged in a heated, yet silly discussion. But, as the discussion between the three of them continued, it gradually became a discussion between two people. AKA: Toph and Aang. Now, Katara tried to get a word in here and there, but it was obvious that those two only wanted to listen to each other. She had no problem with that. So, she quietly stood and made her way to Aang's friend. She learned that his name was Zuko. Needless to say, they didn't notice.

Toph laughed. This was probably the stupidest discussion that she had ever had with anyone, but it was fun to be silly with someone. Especially since this someone prided himself in his silliness. "You're wrong. Katara will back me up."

He shrugged. "I doubt it. But, if you're fine with being embarrassed, you can ask her."

She gave him a look. "Ha." When he grinned, they both turned to Katara's seat, only to find it empty. It seemed that they were so wrapped up in each other that she left. Well, wasn't that embarrassing?

"Where did she go?"

Toph looked back to Aang. The way she saw it, they had two choices: they could go searching for Katara or they could stay there talking. Alone. Well, they weren't really alone in a restaurant, but it counted. Safe to say, it wasn't a hard decision. Although she felt bad for choosing a boy over her friend, the guilt soon faded away when she looked into his eyes. He wanted to stay with her, too.

She waved a hand dismissively. "She'll be fine."

He made a face. "What a good friend you are."

She rolled her eyes when he relaxed into his seat and took a sip of his drink. "You don't seem too keen on getting up, anyway."

"Maybe she left because she, as the good friend that you aren't, didn't want to embarrass you in front of me."

Toph sat up with a silly grin. "You better be happy that we're in public."

He laughed.

As the harmless and childish insults were hurled, the two of them unwittingly shuffled closer to each other. Toph didn't notice, but Aang did soon enough and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her lips.

"Maybe she left because she was tired of hearing your voice." He kept his eyes on her mouth.

She didn't notice, but her smile grew. She could never be this childish at home with her parents around. She leaned in to poke his chest. "Well, maybe she left because-"

He grabbed her finger. "I need to ask you something."

She froze a bit, but she shook it off. "What?"

"What are you doing later?"

"Why?"

"I want to show you around."

"Why?"

"I just thought that since this is your first time in Rome, you should have someone who's lived here their whole life to give you a proper tour."

"This is Katara's first time, too."

"I want to show _you_ around."

Suddenly, she was very aware of his hand holding her finger. She wanted to ask him if this was a date, but she kept her mouth shut. After all, she was leaving in four months. She gave him a look and a smile slid onto his face. He was such a happy fellow and, goodness, his smile was so contagious.

She smiled back and slipped her finger from his grip. "Let's go."

He started a bit when she stood, but he followed suit and did the same. "Aren't you going to tell Katara that you're leaving?"

She looked past his head and found Katara speaking with Zuko and one other worker. She looked to Toph and gave her an emphatic thumbs up.

Toph bit a smile back. "She'll be fine."

That was when it all began. After that, he began taking her out after his morning shifts once they finished eating or whenever he got out of work. Toph swore up and down that they weren't dates. Katara didn't mind being left out. She actually encouraged it a bit. Especially when Toph would arrive home late at night with a giddy look on her face. Katara didn't know what was going on, but she did notice that they had gotten a lot closer, that Toph stayed up almost every night giggling and falling asleep with the phone next to her, and that she visited the restaurant more often.

But, it wasn't a relationship, Toph would claim. It wasn't anything serious.

_**.**_

They were in the backyard of Aang's small house, watching him and Zuko fix his bike. Actually, they were ogling. Blatantly. Toph didn't mind because she claimed that Aang _wasn't_ hers and that it was a crime not to stare at such fine specimen such as those two. Katara agreed with the latter wholeheartedly.

Zuko stood. "Your bike is dead."

Aang shook his head and wiped his brow. "There's still hope. I've had Appa for such a long time. It wouldn't be right to just buy another without trying to fix him."

"It's a bike, Aang."

"Don't refer to him like that. You'll hurt his feelings."

Zuko rolled his eyes and sat beside Katara. "I'm done for the day."

Aang went back to his bike. He wasn't giving up. "Can you pass me that wrench?"

Toph stood and passed it to him. It was the least that she could do for the show that he was giving her. All of that perseverance and determination was sexy.

"Pass me the-"

Toph passed it.

"Can you get me-"

Toph got it for him.

"Give me that-"

Toph gave it to him.

"Get me the-"

Toph got it for him.

"Not that one, the-"

Toph switched them.

Katara and Zuko could only watch. Aang didn't look up once. Just how much time were they spending together? It was like they were in each other's brains.

When Aang stood and started the bike, Zuko looked to Katara. "Creepy, huh?"

She kept her eyes on Toph. "Definitely."

**_._**

He began teaching her Italian. He insisted that she needed to learn, at least, the basics if she was going to be staying in Rome for five months.

Katara insisted that he only brought the idea up to spend more time with her.

Toph didn't mind at all.

**_._**

It was late and way past three in the morning. Neither of them were willing to leave the other to check the time and verify. They sat on the floor of her room across from each other speaking in hushed voices.

"Will you shut up? You'll wake Katara up."

"I didn't think that you were scared of her."

"I'm not. I just don't want to hear her nagging in the morning."

"It's not like she doesn't know that I've already been here this late before."

She didn't know, but Toph wouldn't tell him that.

Toph didn't think that she would get comfortable enough to have him in her room this late at night and that fact scared her a bit. She was leaving in a few months. She didn't think that it was safe to feel this comfortable with him after only one month and some days. But, she brushed it off. It wasn't like they were in a relationship.

She almost smacked her forehead. "Just stop talking so loud."

"Why?"

She leaned over to place her hands over his mouth. If Katara was there, she would say that Toph had finally met her match. She couldn't stop the smile growing on her face. "I'm going to beat you up."

He held his hands up. Both of them knew that she would do so if she needed to. When she removed her hands, he grinned impishly. "I'm going to tell her that you're afraid of her."

She sat back on her arms with a shrug. "I'll beat you both up."

His grin softened and they were quiet for a moment. "Sei così bella." _You're so beautiful._

He was teaching her Italian and she was big enough to admit that she wasn't that good, but she understood that. She was sure that her face was red and she was glad that they were sitting in the dark with the moon as their only source of light.

She bit a smile back. "How do you say, 'You're a kiss up'?"

He laughed and her hands were over his mouth again.

**_._**

He was into jokes. Bad, corny jokes. Bad, corny jokes that made people turn away in utter disgust. And for some reason, he thought that she liked hearing them. For some reason, she did.

"What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?"

"A horrible pun."

He pouted. "C'mon, T."

He had gotten into the habit of calling her '_T._' a few days ago. For some reason, she didn't berate him for it. In fact, '_Twinkles_' had managed to slip through her lips because of how graceful he was.

She sighed. For a 22 year old man, he was good at pouting. "What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?"

Dramatic pause.

"Frostbite."

"You've got to be kidding me."

He laughed and she smiled, a little giggle escaping. His jokes weren't so bad.

**_._**

One day, they went to a festival that the small town had thrown in celebration of the new season. It wasn't a date, though.

She picked a flower up and hesitated for a bit as she searched for the exact word. She had gotten better with the language, but not as good as she wanted to be. "Fiore, giusto?" _Flower, right?_

He nodded with a smile. "Correggere. Molto buono." _Correct. Very good._

She smiled and shrugged. "Not that hard."

"Not when you were just struggling for that one word for three minutes."

She punched him, but there was a smile on both of their faces.

"Sorry." He didn't mean it. He took the flower to tuck it behind her ear. "Bella." _Beautiful._

"Bacio up." _Kiss up._

He laughed.

**_._**

On the second week of the second month, Katara stood at the door watching her get ready. She was just _standing_ there and _staring_ her down. A shudder ran down Toph's spine. She was making her uncomfortable.

Toph turned in front of the mirror to look at her. "What?"

"Where are you going," Katara asked.

"Aang is taking me somewhere." With that, she turned back around in front of the mirror. She caught Katara's reflection in the mirror and she turned back around. "_What?_"

Katara shrugged. "Since when have you gotten dressed up for anyone?"

Toph gave her a look. "I'm not getting dressed up for anyone. I'm getting dressed up for myself."

"Mh-hmm." Katara obviously didn't believe her and Toph turned back around in front of the mirror with a roll of her eyes. With a laugh, Katara walked into the bedroom to sit on the bed. She watched her friend with a smile. She had never seen her like this with any boy. "Is this a _date_?"

"No, I told you that this is nothing serious." Toph stopped and hesitated before speaking. "Besides, I'm leaving in three months."

Katara frowned. She didn't miss the wistful tone in her friend's voice. Luckily for both of them, the doorbell rang and Toph was rushing out of her bedroom. Katara followed after her with a grin. Seeing her like this was exciting. It made her want to get her own boyfriend.

They reached the door and Toph turned around. "How do I look?"

"Since when do you care-"

"_Katara_."

Katara laughed. "You look beautiful and he'll think so, too. Trust me."

Toph seemed to like that answer. She smiled. "Thanks." She stopped and pointed a finger at her. "And I don't care what he thinks." With that, she made her way out and shut the door behind her.

Katara stepped up to lock the door before she heard their voices.

"Sei bellissima." _You look beautiful._

"Grazie." _Thanks._

Katara grinned to herself.

_**.**_

"What did the water say to the boat?"

"What?"

"Nothing. It just waved."

"You've been spending time with Aang again, haven't you?"

Toph laughed and Katara smiled at the sound. It was nice to see her friend so happy.

**_._**

On the last day of the second month, Toph's parents finally got ahold of her. She and Katara were sitting in the living room of their apartment watching television when the phone rang.

Katara reached over to grab the phone, all the while keeping her eyes on the television screen. "Hello?"

_"Yes, may I speak to Toph Beifong?"_

Katara looked at Toph who paid no mind to the phone call. "May I ask who's calling?"

_"Lao Beifong."_

Katara froze. Oh, no.

Toph looked at her and noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong? Who is it?"

"Your dad." Katara couldn't lie to her. When Toph's eyes widened, she wished that she did.

Toph hesitated before she stood. "I'll take it in the kitchen." With that, she took the phone and walked into the other room.

Katara tried desperately not to listen in; she even tried to put the volume up, but she heard it and her heart broke for her.

"Hello?"

There was a pause and Katara guessed that Lao was berating his daughter. She heard a sigh.

"Yes, I know. Even if I did, you wouldn't have allowed it."

A scoff.

"I'm staying for the five months."

An exasperated sigh. It sounded like a quiet whine.

"No, no, don't do that. Please."

Katara stood. She sounded a bit desperate. She wanted to take the phone and tell Lao off, but Toph would never forgive her for that. She preferred to fight her own battles. So, Katara walked and stood at the kitchen's door frame for moral support.

"Don't do that! That isn't fair!"

Katara saw her fingers tighten around the phone. She walked behind her and put an arm around her shoulder.

Toph shrugged her off and began pacing as her father spoke. She looked ready to say something when she suddenly stopped pacing. She stomped her foot on the ground. She seemed to be in some serious turmoil and debating something. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll do it. All of it." She clicked a button and shut the phone off.

Katara debated on approaching her, but she stayed put. "Toph-"

The phone hit a wall and it broke. "Don't worry. I can pay it off. I'm a Beifong." With that, she walked off.

Katara couldn't help but to notice how bitter she sounded when she said her name.

After that, Toph gradually stopped spending time with Aang. She didn't visit the restaurant anymore and she stopped taking his calls. After about a week, Katara had had enough. She liked Aang and she didn't want to see him hurt. Toph claimed that it was just a little fling, but she could tell that they were both a bit more invested into it than they should have been.

Katara stepped into Toph's room without knocking. She found her laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. "Hey."

Toph didn't look at her. "Hey."

Katara frowned. What did her father do to her? "This isn't fair to Aang, you know. You can't just cut him off like this."

"I can and I did. I'm leaving, anyway. It's not like he'll notice."

He did. And he made it clear that he noticed when he showed up at their apartment the next day.

It was late one night and Toph was home alone, waiting for Katara to come home. The bell rang and she raised a brow. Katara had a key. She looked at the time. _12:10 AM._ Who could be at the door at this time?

She stood and walked to open the door, only to see Aang. Her heart fluttered a bit and she ignored it to give him her best glare. "Don't you call?"

He stepped into the house uninvited. "Even if I did, you wouldn't have answered."

Toph couldn't argue with that. She shut the door. "What are you doing here?"

He scoffed. "You know why I'm here. You can't just cut people off like that. I've got feelings, too."

She frowned at that.

His brows knitted at her frown. "What's going on?"

She debated with telling him everything and just brushing him off, but the longer she looked at him, the more she wanted to explain to him her reasons. She didn't want him to think that it was him when all he did was treat her so well. He had done nothing wrong. It was her.

"My father called me," she blurted out.

His eyes widened. "Oh."

That answer was suffice for the both of them. She had told him about her parents, their company, and how they treated her. She didn't understand why she told him all of this, but he told her everything, too. After only two months, they fully trusted each other. Which was why it was so hard to be away from him for the past week and a half.

"What did he say," Aang asked after a moment.

"He threatened to send someone to get me and bring me back."

He took in a breath. "He was going to take you away?"

She nodded.

"But, he didn't."

He looked and sounded relieved. She shook her head with a slight smile.

There was a pause.

"Are you leaving?"

"Not yet. I'm finishing the five months."

"Then, let's not waste our time." He grabbed her face and kissed her.

She would be lying if she said that she never thought about kissing him. It was safe to say that he exceeded her expectations. He was an _awesome_ kisser. She took his hands from her face to place them at her hips and grabbed his face to deepen the kiss. He held her closer and pushed her up against a wall.

Somewhere in the back of their heads, they both knew that what they were doing was dangerous because she was leaving. But, once they thought about the prospect of leaving one another, they managed to push the apprehension away. That night, he made sure that she knew good and well just how grateful he was that she stayed. He also made sure that she was glad that she stayed, too.

She woke up the next morning in his arms. She couldn't believe that she actually slept with him. She knew that it was a result of their pent up feelings and her briefly escaping her father, but she couldn't find it in her to care or feel guilty because he was so good.

_The bed rocked underneath them because of their movements and the room was filled with quiet gasps and moans. They couldn't be loud; Katara was next door. Goodness, she thought that he was gorgeous before, but now, as he steadied himself over her and moved within her with his arms on either side of her head, he was absolutely beautiful._

_The pace suddenly slowed rather dramatically. Was he about to stop? She grabbed his face. There was a slight smile on his face before he kissed her forehead. "Does this feel good?"_

_His voice was thick with passion and his eyes devoured her. He didn't look down at her body once and he kept the eye contact consistent. He was making sure that she knew that he was appreciating this time with her. He was appreciating her._

_She found herself nodding before he gripped under her thigh and held her leg up at an angle. She threw her head back with a gasp._

_"Dire di sì." Say yes._

_She opened her mouth to speak, but a weak moan escaped instead._

_"Sì, Toph." __When she didn't answer, he moved even slower._

_She shut her eyes at the feeling of his length moving in and out of her, from the tip down to his sack, so slowly. How could he possibly expect her to be able to speak? Suddenly, she felt his thumb in the apex of the meeting of her thighs and she arched into him with a short yell._

_His grip under her thigh tightened and she could tell that he was struggling to stay in control. It took him a few moments of slow pumping and measured breaths, but he finally set an agonizingly slow and perfect pace. "Rispondimi." Answer me._

_With her eyes still shut, she nodded. He slowly slid out of her. She grabbed his hips to keep him from leaving and her hips raised to meet his. "Yes," she managed to say._

_The pace picked up, just a bit, and she found herself wondering how he didn't explode yet. He removed his hand from in between them and she gave a sigh. She didn't know if it was a forlorn sigh because she would miss the feeling or a sigh of relief because it felt almost too good._

_He sat up on his knees and continued the slow pace. "Dire di sì," he repeated._

_She finally opened her eyes and they met his. Then, she understood. He wanted to hear her say it in his language. Normally, she wouldn't let any man tell her what to do, especially not in bed, but now it was completely sexy. With the way that he was working, she would say whatever he wanted her to say. __She nodded and trailed a hand down his toned stomach as her hips met his. "Sì."_

_He took her other thigh and hooked both of her knees over his arms and she threw her head back with a cry of pleasure. It was almost like she was sobbing with the sounds that he drew out of her. She attempted to steady her breathing. "Sì, Aang."_

_He hissed as he watched her writhe underneath him. "Così bella," he murmured to himself. So beautiful._

_He leaned over to kiss her and she moaned into his mouth. He moved faster and the bed began to rock again. He broke the kiss and sat up on his knees before he pushed her knees to her chest and spread her wider. When she gave a cry, he kissed her foot and quickened the pace. "Di nuovo." Again._

It was safe to say that he had her 'Sì-ing' all night. For someone who was so gentle and carefree, he sure was demanding and teasing in bed. But, she didn't mind. Usually, she was the one who teased and was in control, but he was just so good that she had to give it to him.

She rolled over to lay on her stomach before propping herself up on her arms. She observed his tranquil face. He really was gorgeous. It was hard to believe that this angel was the one doing all of the work just last night.

A few moments later, his nose twitched a bit, as if he could feel her eyes on him and his own began to flutter open. He blinked several times with a yawn, but he didn't move and stayed laid on his back. "Buongiorno."_ Good morning.  
_

She felt her stomach lurch and a smile growing. She wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning. "Good morning."

He took a piece of her thick, inky hair and began to play with it. She didn't know why she let him. "Did you sleep well?"

She almost snorted. She slept more than '_well_' thanks to him. She couldn't remember any other time when she had ever had such a good night's sleep. Or morning. But, she wasn't going to tell him that so, she nodded.

"Did you just wake up?"

"A little bit before you did."

There was a playful smirk on his face as he looped her hair around his finger. "Were you watching me sleep?"

She scoffed with a smile. "Of course not. Why would I want to watch you sleep?"

He shrugged. "I've heard that I'm very good looking."

She snorted with a laugh. She didn't peg him to be the conceited type. It was weird, but this morning, after sex, talk felt normal. As if she had been waking up next to him for more than just one morning. "Well, they lied," she said with a giggle.

He stayed quiet and watched her for a few moments. It wasn't an awkward silence, but the way that he was staring at her made her a bit uncomfortable. Did she have something on her face? She didn't want someone that good looking staring at it. Before she could ask, he finally spoke. "You're beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. That wasn't the first time that he had told her that she was beautiful, but there was a smile on her face. "You already got in my pants. You don't need to compliment me."

"I know."

She laughed it off, but she knew that she was blushing. The look in his eyes grew smoldering and she could feel herself growing redder. She looked down. That look in his eyes was getting intense.

He let her hair go to take her chin and he made her look at him. "You're so beautiful," he said before he pulled her in for kiss. Then, he flipped them over so that she was on her back. He broke the kiss and stood on his knees before he began unwrapping the blankets around them both.

"You can't possibly still be horny after last night," she said as he cast the blankets aside and spread her legs open before positioning himself at her entrance, but she made no move to stop him.

"You greatly underestimate your beauty." Before she could even blush, he gently ran his thumb down her nub and she quietly gasped a moan. He smiled at her. "Sensibile, eh?" _Sensitive, huh?_

She found herself smiling back with a nod. She didn't know if it was out of embarrassment, because she was glad for his concern of her, or because his smile was just so contagious. But, she pushed those thoughts away. This was just a fling until she had to go back home. She didn't need to be concerned with any of those reasons.

He slowly entered her and her low moan filled the room as she arched up towards him. He made a sound as her hips bucked and he held them down. "Easy, Toph." Once he settled himself inside of her, he set a slow and steady pace, just like the night before. "Your Italian has gotten much better. You understood me last night."

She grinned a bit. "Your language isn't that hard to learn."

There was a bit of a mischievous look in his eyes before he took one of her legs to wrap around his hip and took the other to hold up at an angle. When she threw her head back and tightened her leg around him, he pushed her leg higher up. She grabbed the pillow underneath her head and he moved a bit faster. "Your mouth will get you into trouble one day."

She obviously wasn't in trouble now. She didn't respond to that, but she let out a laughing sigh instead. She didn't even know that she was holding her breath. She felt like this shouldn't have been so easy. She could have been back in America at that moment, but she was here with him instead. She sat up on her forearms and kissed him. This shouldn't have felt so right.

He gently pushed her back onto the bed and he positioned himself over her with his arm. With his free hand, he spread her leg wider and he swallowed her moan. He broke the kiss to place three soft kisses onto her neck. She hugged him close and at the sound of her whimper, he quickened his pace.

"Questo sentirsi bene," he mumbled into her neck. _Does this feel good?_

She nodded and held him close. "Sì."

He lifted his face from it's place in her neck and grinned at her. "Quanto è buono?" _How good?_

She found herself grinning right back and she flipped them over to straddle him. She began rolling her hips and he groaned. That was enough teasing from him. She placed her hands beside his head before lowering her face to rest her forehead on his and her thick hair created a dark blanket around their heads. His cheeks grew a bit pink and her grin widened as she moved. "Molto buono." _Very good._

**.**

The third month was strictly Toph's and Aang's because they were making the most of the time that they had left together. Every morning, she would meet him at the restaurant for breakfast, only for them to leave after his shift to spend the rest of the day together. At the end of the day, they would continue their exploration of one another. Each night was different, but the intent was the same as he touched her everywhere and moved within her, drawing out those moans, gasps, and yells that he loved to hear. He would draw them out and make sure that they bounced and reverberated off of the walls because they would be at his house and she could be as loud as she wanted to be.

He would be teasing and demanding some nights. He would take her high, only to slow down, stop, and bring her back down. She would swear to pummel him into the ground, but then he would take her even higher before she crashed, almost violently, and brought him down with her.

Other nights, when they were reminded that they would soon be separated, he would take his sweet time with her, running his hands up and down her body, touching, grabbing, sucking, and kissing her everywhere. He would make sure that she was looking into his eyes and said his name as she came, dripping wet and panting as she trembled with the aftershocks of her orgasms. Then, after a few moments, he would reenter her slowly because she was still tender and he would do it all over again throughout the night simply because he wanted to make sure that they would both get their fill of each other before they would be forced to separate.

_**.**_

Whenever a woman was told that all she would be able to do was lay on her back, it was immediately taken as an insult. Toph, of course, would have taken offense to this because of that 'Beifong pride'. Especially since all she had been doing lately was laying on her back under Aang every morning, sometimes noon, and night. But, she couldn't find it in herself to feel ashamed. Whoever made that phrase up and assigned it to be used as an insult obviously hadn't experienced Aang.

With her legs wrapped tightly around him, she held him close as he pounded into her. She didn't know how they managed to end up in this position so early in the morning. She normally slept in, especially when she was on vacation, but he was an early riser and she wasn't complaining.

He kissed up her neck and she shut her eyes as she felt her orgasm approaching. Before she could even finish, he removed himself from her. Her eyes snapped open. What was he doing? "Aang?"

A slight smile graced his handsome face before he kissed her softly and sat up, prompting her to unwrap her legs from around him. He pulled away and spread one of her legs. "Me lo chiedo di qualcosa." _I've been wondering about something._

She made a face. Talk about bad timing. But, she was intrigued. "Chi?" _About?_

Suddenly, she felt the padding of his finger on her sensitive nub. She threw her head back as he watched her closely.

"Sei estremamente sensibile." _You're extremely sensitive._

She shut her eyes and arched into him when he inserted a finger. He said it like she didn't know it. She was definitely aware of her hypersensitivity and they both knew that he loved it. He was just the only person that was ever able to play with her sensitivity like that. She had never been with anyone who was able to make her sound so weak before. She loved it. "Lo si ama." _You love it._

His fingers quickened against her and inside of her before she let out a shuddering moan. "Vero." _True._

Before she could respond, she felt her orgasm approaching and this time, he let her ride it out. With panting breaths and a heaving chest, she opened her eyes to meet his. He didn't look like he was finished.

He reached out to knead a breast and she made a sound. His eyebrows furrowed at this. "Proprio come sensibile stai?" _Just how sensitive are you?_

She sat up on her arms when his thumb and forefinger found her nipple. "Perché questo fastidio?" _Why does this bother you?_

An eyebrow quirked in what looked like amusement. He looked like he was up to something. "Non è così. A tutti." _It doesn't. At all._

When he spread her legs open, her breath hitched in her throat. What was he up to? That was when he tugged her down, pulling her arms from underneath her, and began placing soft kisses down her body. Once he finally reached his destination, he met her eyes. "Voglio solo vedere quanto siete sensibili per me stesso." _I just want to see how sensitive you are for myself._

Was he being serious? Nevertheless, she grew excited despite herself. "Io non sono il vostro progetto-scienza." _I'm not your science project._

Before she knew it, he spread her thighs and his tongue, flat, slow, and warm, engulfed her center. Almost immediately, her eyes clamped shut and she let out a short yell. She felt a sudden wave of disappointment when his tongue left her.

He kissed her inner thigh. "Non ho mai incontrato nessuno così sensibile come te." _I've never met anyone as sensitive as you._

After a few moments of attempting to steady her breathing, she sat up on her arms and found him looking up at her. She didn't take too kindly to being used as someone's experiment, but she had to admit that he looked so good between her legs with his mouth and chin glistening like that. She felt herself growing wetter. "Andare più lento." _Go slower._

With a slight smirk, he kissed along her inner thigh before his tongue found her again, albeit much gentler than before. She threw her head back at his gentle ministrations. Goodness, he was good with his tongue.

"Meglio," he spoke against her. _Better?_

A short whimper was her answer. She thought that reply should be good enough for the both of them and it was. Her hips bucked against him and she fell back onto the bed when his short and little licks grew into long and slow licks. When his lips encircled her sensitive nub, her hands reached down to push him deeper into her as she reached her climax and he ate her up.

As she attempted to steady her breathing, he took the chance to grab a pillow and set it underneath her. He watched her. "Come stai questa sensibile?" _How are you this sensitive?_

She kept her eyes shut. Like she was supposed to know. "Perché questo fastidio?" _Why does this bother you?_

"Ti ho già detto che non è così." _I already told you that it doesn't._

She heard the smile in his voice. She opened her eyes and true to her suspicions, she found a smile on his face. A grin, even. What was he up to?

He rearranged the pillow underneath her and spread her legs. "E 'intrigante." _It's intriguing._

"Ti ho detto che io non sono il tuo piccolo esperimento scientifico." _I told you that I'm not your little science experiment._

"Non sto sperimentando." _I'm not experimenting._

Her breath hitched in her throat. "Aang- _Oh!_" Suddenly, she felt the padding of his thumb rubbing furiously against her before she came. She attempted to catch her breaths. That was fast. Goodness, she really was sensitive.

"Dio, Toph," he breathed out before he kissed her. She immediately returned the kiss and held him close. _God, Toph._

When he pulled away and kissed her forehead, she licked her lips, tasting herself before she hid her face in his neck. "That wasn't fair."

"That wasn't in Italian."

"Neither was that."

She smiled and she just knew that he had that goofy grin on his face. That fact bothered her a bit. She didn't have much time to dwell on it before he sat up on his knees and positioned himself at her entrance. An involuntary whimper escaped her when his tip grazed her sensitive area.

His smile softened. "Vado lento." _I'll go slow._

When she nodded, he slowly entered her. It took all of her willpower not to scream out in pleasure. He kissed her and she tasted herself again before she took his hand and began sucking and licking each finger down. It was a bit shameless, but why should he be the only one allowed to have fun?

As he watched her, his eyes widened before he picked up the pace. She knew that he wouldn't have been able to keep the slow pace. He never could. But, she didn't mind at all, especially when she was the one making him lose control like this. When she reached the last finger, she took his hand and placed it right where they repeatedly met - their favorite spot. His thumb immediately began working on her clitoris and she arched into him with a yell.

He watched her before he murmured, "Ho intenzione di avere così tanto divertimento con voi." _I'm going to have so much fun with you._

Slowly, a smile slid onto her face, prompting him to do the same. "Allo stesso modo." _Likewise._

With that, he kissed her and picked up the pace.

**_._**

"I never knew that you were that loud in bed."

Toph looked at Katara. "What?"

Katara, who seemed to be lost in her thoughts, shook something off and looked at her. "I heard you the other night."

"Oh, my goodness."

"Then again, it kind of fits your personality. You were never one to hold your tongue."

"You are not analyzing this."

"I didn't know that you were a morning sex person, either. I guess it's never too early."

"You were there for that, too?!"

"You two were really going at it. I thought that you guys were going to break the bed. I mean, we're renting this place. But, you could always pay it off, right?"

"I'm not having this conversation."

"I didn't know that you could speak Italian that well, either." Katara smirked at Toph's red face. "Aang's a pretty good teacher, huh?"

Toph covered her face. She completely forgot that there was another person living with her.

"Now I know a bit of Italian, too," Katara continued as if her friend wasn't in extreme discomfort. "Molto buono, huh?"

Toph threw a cushion at her.

_**.**_

Pretty soon, it stopped being about just the sex. They stopped using their bodies as a gateway for learning about one another and found true intimacy. It was probably because they thought that they would never see each other again, but they began to share the most intimate and personal details with each other. She didn't know why, but she told him everything. She told him things that she never even told Katara. Because she trusted him. All of her fears and dreams. He listened without any interruption, which was pretty impressive considering how talkative he was. In turn, he also trusted and told her everything. And she also listened without any interruption. They grew a bit of a bond.

Katara noticed. "Be careful," she would tell her friend.

"It's nothing serious," Toph always replied with a shrug. "Just a fling."

_**.**_

They were sitting in his backyard, working on his bike again. Well, _he_ was working. She was ogling. It was a bit pathetic how attached he was to the piece of garbage, but he loved it so, she put up with it.

"I can build you another bike, you know."

He looked at her. "I thought that architects only worked on buildings and construction sights."

She nodded. "So?"

He gave her a look before he went back to his bike. "You can't build me a bike."

She laughed and punched his arm. "I can so! Just because architects are trained to build buildings and work on construction doesn't mean that that's all we can do. We can do more than people think."

He smiled at her. "That was beautiful."

"_Aang_."

He laughed. "Okay, okay. You can build bikes. Are you going to build me one?"

She didn't want to tell him that it would take too long and that she would have to be back in America before it would be done. "You didn't believe in me. I'll buy you one instead."

He seemed to be debating her answer. With a sigh, he went back to working on his bike. "I would much rather be riding something that you made."

She liked that answer. With a smile, she began helping him.

_**.**_

Sometimes, they just liked to be outside in his backyard and lay on the grass to stare at the sky. She felt paws on her stomach and smiled. He had a pet named "Momo". She wasn't sure if it was a cat or a bunny or a lemur. Perhaps it was mixture of all three. She didn't know, but it had taken a liking to her and Toph had to admit that it was pretty cute when it followed her around everywhere.

When Momo curled up on her stomach, her smile grew. "What is this thing?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. He followed me home, so I took him in."

Momo's tail wagged. Geez, what was this animal? "Aren't you a saint?"

He laughed. "I think it's safe to say that he'll miss you."

Her smile faltered a bit. With all of this time that she was spending with him, he actually got her to forget that she was leaving. "Will you miss me?"

"Yes."

"I bet you'll only miss the sex."

"I can definitely say the same for you."

She grinned. He was good in bed and they both knew it. Normally, she didn't feed people's egos like this, but the more that she fed his, the bolder and better he got. She took Momo and held him up high. "You'll miss me, Momo," she cooed before she kissed his nose. "Won't you?"

Momo meowed or growled or did whatever cat/lemur/bunny animal things like him did. Toph smiled and set him back onto her stomach. They were quiet for a moment before he spoke.

"I'll miss _you_, Toph."

He wasn't lying.

"I'll miss you, too." She would miss him. And it bothered her just _how much_ she would.

_**.**_

Her chest heaved rhythmically as she lay underneath him one night. He spread her legs open before he touched her and her hips involuntarily bucked with a quiet grunt. He had an extremely high sex drive. She didn't know that he just loved the feeling of her womanhood wrapped around him and that he was already addicted to her like she was to him. "Di nuovo?" _Again?_

He gripped her thighs and his hands slid down to wrap her legs around his hips. "Si sta lasciando in due mesi. Voi avrete tante volte come io per favore." _You're leaving in two months. I'll have you as many times as I please._

Her stomach flipped at his words before he entered her. She loved when he spoke like that in bed and he knew it. She grabbed his face to kiss him and she moaned into his mouth as he picked up the pace.

He wanted to make sure that she remembered just who and what it was that she would be leaving behind.

_**.**_

He took her to his parents' grave site. They sat on the ground in front of their tombstones in silence. She didn't know what to say to console him, but she did know that she felt so bratty and ungrateful because all she did was complain about her parents while he had none. So, she wrapped her arms around one of his and rested her head on his shoulder.

"They died when I was 12," he said suddenly and quietly.

She took his hand and kissed it.

"I got that arrow tattoo on my arm for them the next day. Just to remind me that they're up there watching over me."

She read their tombstones. He told her that they were buried beside each other so that they could reunite in heaven. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

There was a peaceful and tranquil silence.

"They would have liked you."

She got the distinct feeling that this was now more than just a little fling.

**_._**

Along with growing closer to Aang, she also grew closer to his makeshift family at the restaurant. It seemed that she visited so often that even the regular customers grew to like her and look forward to her visits. Which was every day. Aang didn't even get in trouble for it anymore. Even the boss grew to love her and began feeding her meals that he personally cooked himself.

Toph opened up the door and stepped into the restaurant, only to be greeted by a chorus of _"Ciaooo, Tooooph!"_ from the workers and customers and one _"Oi, somebody get Aang."_

The owner, a jolly old man by the name of Iroh, chuckled warmly as he approached her. "Ignore my nephew. He's just jealous."

Toph smiled and sat down. "It's not that hard to ignore that princess."

"Aang, get your girlfriend!"

Toph ignored that. "What do you have for me to eat today?"

Iroh nodded. "Ah, wait here." With that, he walked off. When he returned, he held a steaming plate in his hands. He set it in front of her before he sat down.

Toph looked at her meal. "Spaghetti?"

He waved a finger. "Not just any spaghetti. My _famous_ spaghetti."

Everything this man did was famous, according to him. Toph took her fork before she picked up some noodles and stuck it in her mouth. She nodded appreciatively. "Questo è delizioso." _This is delicious._

Iroh grinned. "Come se già non sapevo che."_As if I didn't already know that._

She gave him a look as she chewed. "Uomini vecchi sono supposti per essere allegro e pieno di saggezza. Non jolly e arrogante." _Old men are supposed to be jolly and full of wisdom. Not jolly and cocky._

He chuckled. "Uomini vecchi sono anche abbastanza vecchi per essere tuttavia vogliono essere senza essere interrogata." _Old men are also old enough to be however they want to be without being questioned._

She couldn't argue with that. She felt a smile growing. "Tu sei il vecchio sassiest che abbia mai incontrato." _You're the sassiest old man that I've ever met._

"Grazie." He smiled when she rolled her eyes. "Your Italian has gotten much better." _Thank you._

She smiled a bit as she slurped up her noodles. The man was an awesome cook. "Aang is a good teacher."

Iroh looked at her for a few moments and the regular restaurant sounds played out in the background. "Sono davvero a lasciare?" _Are you really going to leave?_

Toph set her fork down at his suddenly solemn demeanor. "Necessario." _I have to._

"Scommetto che il valore di una settimana di pasti che non vi lascerà." _I'll bet you a week's worth of meals that you won't leave._

She sat up at the flippant sacrificing of her meals. "Perché l'hai fatto?!" _Why would you do that?!_

"Perché si perderebbe." _Because you would lose._

She gave him a look. "Perché voi che dite?" _Why do you say that?_

He held his hands up defensively. This girl wasn't against punching old men. Especially sassy ones. "Sto solo dicendo. Se si sta lasciando, non sta per essere quando si pensa." _I'm just saying. If you're leaving, it's not going to be when you think._

Toph glared at him. Stupid, old man. He was always speaking in riddles. "And how would you know that?"

He shrugged. "I'm old. I know everything."

Before Toph could further interrogate him, Aang approached them. She felt her anger fading away and she stood to greet him. When he kissed the top of her head, she felt a smile growing before she met Iroh's eyes. She glared at him and he smiled.

"Ready to go," Aang asked.

Goodness, she just couldn't get away from Iroh's old and all knowing eyes. She needed to get away from them. She nodded. "Yup."

**_._**

She woke up one morning in his arms, sated for once and a bit sore, but she didn't mind at all. She felt his fingers running through her hair and she burrowed her face into his chest. "Buongiorno." _Good morning._

He didn't answer. Instead, he seemed preoccupied with studying her hand.

She furrowed her eyebrows at this and looked at him. What was he doing? "Aang?"

He finally looked at her, but he kept her hand in his. He didn't look like he was letting it go any time soon. "Buongiorno," he said quietly.

She gave him a look. Something was bothering him. "What's wrong?"

He bit on his lip and looked back at her hand. He massaged it a bit. "Oggi ho. Ti piacerebbe andare da qualche parte con me?"_ I have today off. Would you like to go somewhere with me?_

She found it strange that he didn't comment on her speaking in English. They had an unspoken agreement that they would only speak Italian in bed. Needless to say, this deal helped her learn the language with no problems. "Andiamo da qualche parte tutti i giorni." _We go somewhere everyday._

"Questo è diverso." _This is different._

There was a pause.

"Si tratta di una data?" _Is this a date?_

He kissed her palm. "Sì." _Yes_.

She nodded against his chest. "Va bene." _Okay._

_**.**_

They slept together in the most innocent interpretations of the phrase. Their nights weren't filled with pure, absolute sex as it was in the beginning. Now, it was the sound of his voice followed by the sound of his breathing pattern which lulled her to sleep. It was the feel of his hands caressing her own and her arms, shoulders, and cheeks, his fingers in her hair, and his arms holding her in an embrace that promised her a good morning. It was his lips on her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, everywhere else but her lips that told her that he would _always_ be there when she woke up.

**_._**

He touched her differently. He would reach for her hand and caress it. Whenever they were out, his hand would be at the small of her back, as if he was sending out a message. He would forgo passionate kisses to place a soft one onto her forehead. Her hand. Her cheek. Her nose. She didn't know when this change managed to occur, but when she finally noticed, it definitely caught her off guard.

He also looked at her differently. Whenever his eyes met hers, it was as if he was gazing upon something precious. To make it even worse, he was _always_ looking at her, so she always saw that look. It scared her a bit. So, of course, she called him out on it.

They had just finished a movie marathon with Katara. It was late and Toph was walking Aang to the door. She opened the door before she looked at him and felt her breathing hitch. He was _looking_ at her again.

She punched him. "Stop that."

He placed a hand over his new bruise. "I didn't even say anything!"

That look just wouldn't leave. It was making her feel weak and she couldn't have that. If that look wasn't leaving, then she would beat it out of him. She punched him again. "Stop looking at me."

He glared at her and rubbed his arm. "I didn't know that it was a crime to look at you."

It just wouldn't. Go. _Away_. She raised her fist to punch him and he caught her wrist. He was getting better at blocking her punches. "Stop looking at me like that."

He seemed to be confused before he smiled with a dawning realization. He tugged her close to him. "Like this?"

Involuntarily, she took in a quiet breath. She wouldn't have been surprised if he was able to hear her heartbeat. At the moment, use of her mouth wasn't available. So, she meekly nodded.

His smile softened and she felt herself growing weaker. "I can't help it." He kissed her.

For the love of all that was corny. But, she melted into the kiss and let him hold her close because there was a difference in that, too. It was gentler. _Sweeter_. It felt how the sweetest and purest of honeys tasted.

He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. Now, she was forced to look into his eyes. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss onto the middle of her palm. He had been doing that a lot, lately.

She hid her face in his neck and he held her closer. "Are you leaving?"

He placed another soft kiss onto the middle of her palm. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No."

"Then, I'll stay for you."

He kissed her palm again and kicked the door shut behind him.

**_._**

Toph had been going out on _dates_ lately. Yes, they were dates this time because she actually admitted to them being so. But, she wasn't as dressed up as she was the first time. Toph never cared about what anyone thought, but she sure cared about what Aang thought whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Katara spotted Toph. She was dressed...down. Wasn't she going out with Aang? She grabbed Toph's arm before she could walk out of the door. "Where are you going?"

Toph gave her a look. "Out with Aang."

"Dressed like _that_?"

"He doesn't care."

"_He_ doesn't care?"

Toph quickly realized her mistake. "Neither do I." She slipped from Katara's grip with a grin. "Don't wait up." With that, she stepped out and shut the door behind her, leaving Katara dumbfounded.

_**.**_

Because they had such limited time left together, some nights they would just lay together. There was no sex or kissing. They would just appreciate each other's presence. She would lay on top of him with her head over his heart and he would hold her, sometimes rubbing her back and arms before placing a kiss to the top of her head while telling her a story. One night, however, it was different. It took her a minute of analyzing and she was so close to telling him to _just shut up! _before she finally heard it.

His heartbeat matched hers.

It was the corniest revelation that she had ever come up with and it scared her a bit, but she couldn't stop listening. She had heard of people's heartbeats matching another's, but she never thought that she would be able to experience it for herself.

_Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ta! Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ta!_

She smiled a bit and placed her ear right over his heart when he began inspecting her hand again. It was beautiful.

He kissed her palm and continued his story. Could he hear it, too?

**_._**

There was also a difference in the way that he moved within her. He would be firm and deliberate, sometimes slow and sometimes fast, drawing out panting gasps and moans like he reveled in hearing her sound so desperate and needy. It stopped being about release. At least, with him it seemed to be more than just release.

Their breaths intermingled and their eyes stayed connected as he slowly pumped into her. He laced his fingers with hers beside her head before he released one of her hands to stroke her cheek. He rested his forehead on hers and she whimpered a bit at the look in his eyes. She didn't know whether to be afraid of it or to be glad that it was directed to her. Only her.

"Sei bellissima," he whispered against her lips._ You're beautiful_.

Another whimper escaped. But, she didn't look away. She couldn't. Not because he had his forehead on hers, but because of the way he looked at her. What was happening? "Si dice sempre che." _You always say that._

He slowed down a bit more and she threw her head back at the feeling. He watched her for a bit before he began nibbling on her neck, collar, and under her jaw. She held him close with her free hand. Something was different.

"Sei così bella," he gruffly reiterated against her neck as he moved faster. _You're so beautiful._

She didn't want to acknowledge his words. He was always telling her how beautiful she was and it unnerved her. "Non ho bisogno di dirmi come è bello sto. So già."_ I don't need you to tell me how beautiful I am. I already know._

She watched him as he sat up on his knees and unhooked her leg from his waist. This _felt_ different.

"Ogni parte di te." He kissed her foot. "Dentro e fuori." He kissed up her leg. "Il bene e il male." He kissed her knee. _Every part of you. Inside and out. The good and the bad._

Her breaths grew heavy at his words. "Aang-"

He placed another soft kiss onto her knee before he pushed it toward her chest and he began moving faster. She threw her head back and her mouth opened and closed wordlessly at the new position and pace. He thrust into her vigorously, again and again, pulling himself out only to thrust back into her and wholly fill her. She loved when he did that and he knew it.

His thumb began working on her wet center and she shut her eyes with a choked sob. The pace picked up and the bed began to rock. He hissed. "Sei bella, Toph. Tutti voi." _You're beautiful, Toph. All of you._

She took a few measured breaths before she finally opened her eyes and met his.

That look in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying.

He kissed her foot and she smiled a bit. He had a thing with her feet. At the sight of her smile, he moved faster. He lowered himself to hover over her with his hand beside her head, all the while keeping the same pace and he released his hold on her leg. With both hands, he held her face, his fingers lost in her hair, and his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks as he rested his forehead on hers.

A whimper slipped through her moans. What was going on? That look was in his eyes again. Nevertheless, she snaked her arms around his and caressed his biceps, kissed his thumb when it grazed her lips and wrapped her legs around him. The pace picked up and a short gasp escaped her.

There was a short grunt. "Dio, sei bellissima." _God, you're gorgeous._

This time, his declaration didn't bother her. She believed him. Not because he was so good in bed, but because she finally understood. Because he wasn't speaking of physical beauty. But, because he saw _her_, _every_ part of _her_, inside _and_ out, the good _and_ the bad, and saw that it was beautiful.

So, she grabbed his face, kissed him, and welcomed the change.

**_._**

Katara noticed that there was something different in the way that they interacted with one another. Their whole dynamic had changed. It was on the last day of the third month when Katara stood at the counter of the restaurant waiting for Zuko to come back out. Just as Toph had grown attached to the small town, so had she, albeit, definitely not as much.

Zuko stepped out to stand beside her. He looked around. "Where are the lovebirds?"

"Don't let Toph hear you say that," she warned with a smile.

He shrugged. He could try to act as nonchalant as he could, but they all knew that he was afraid of the small woman. "I have to finish something real quick. I'll meet you and the _lovebirds_ in five minutes."

"I'll tell her that you said that." She laughed at the quick glint of fear that flickered in his eyes before he walked back into the back room She looked around before she spotted Toph and Aang at a table speaking with Iroh.

Katara's eyes widened. It wasn't strange to see them speaking. Toph had also grown attached to Iroh; he had become some sort of a father figure to her during this trip. What was strange was the position that Toph and Aang were in. She sat on his lap and his arm was around her stomach holding her close. To make matters even more confusing, Toph had her hand over the hand that he placed over her stomach.

Since when was Toph into public displays of affection? Toph hated public displays of affection. In fact, she cursed any couple who indulged in it and forced the rest of the world to get a glimpse of whatever disgusting deed they did in the privacy of their homes.

Toph said something and the old man laughed a warm laugh. Aang said something as he hugged her closer before he took her other hand and linked their fingers. She snuggled deeper into him and spoke, making both men laugh.

Katara's eyebrows furrowed. She looked so at ease. The scene looked perfect. Toph looked like she _belonged_ there. When did this happen?

Iroh bid them adieu with a mock salute before he stood and began his stroll around the restaurant to speak with the customers. Katara was about to approach Toph and Aang, but he took the hand that he held and kissed her palm. She said something and he kissed it again. A smile slowly slid onto her face before she kissed his cheek. Katara suddenly felt like an intruder.

"Where are those lovebirds," Zuko asked.

Katara jumped. When did he get there? Nevertheless, she pointed at them. Zuko scoffed and made his way over to them, effectively destroying the moment. Toph punched him in the stomach and said something that Zuko could only groan at. Aang only smiled at her and hugged her closer before he kissed her hand.

Katara's stomach turned. Even the way that they looked at each other was different. The term "lovebirds" was too much of an understatement for them at this point. Whatever those two had going on had obviously grown into something more than just a little fling.

**_._**

He had a thing with her hands. Her left hand, in particular. He was always massaging it, kissing it, her palm and her fingers. It was almost like he was obsessed with it. Whether they were out or in the house, he would always seek it out and hold it. He would feel it out and caress it gently. Then, he would lace their fingers and continue the conversation; or if they were out, he would keep her hand in his, as if he was showing her off.

Katara actually made a comment on it after he left one night. "Since when were you into PDA?"

Toph wasn't surprised that Katara had noticed. He even held her hand while they ate or watched television around her. She merely shrugged. "He's got a thing with my hands."

Katara stared at her. "And you don't mind."

"I don't mind." She didn't.

_**.**_

She realized that something was wrong with her when the fourth month hit. She didn't know what it was, but she could _feel_ it in her bones. It was late at night and they were on the couch of her's and Katara's apartment. She was laying back with her head on the couch's arm and he laid on top of her, resting his head in her bosom. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she didn't push him off of her. In fact, she wrapped her legs around him and cuddled him.

She touched his neck. "Aang? Are you awake?" When he didn't answer, she relaxed into the couch. Great. He had fallen asleep on top of her, using her boobs as a pillow, and she didn't mind. At all. During moments of obvious weakness, Toph Beifong was famous for exploiting said weaknesses and embarrassing their owners. But, she didn't do that to him. She actually hugged him closer. Goodness, what was wrong with her?

She heard the jingling of keys and a door open before she heard footsteps. Katara stepped into the room with a smile that immediately fell. This was certainly a strange sight. "Hey."

Toph nodded. "Hi."

Katara gave her a look. "He's sleeping on you."

"I know."

"You don't even let babies sleep on you."

"I know."

"No offense, but all three of us know that babies are cuter than him."

Toph looked at the ceiling. "Something's wrong with me. I shouldn't be so comfortable with this. I'm leaving soon."

With a smile, Katara walked over to sit on the coffee table in front of the couple. "You could always stay."

Toph looked at her. "You've got to be kidding." When Katara gave her a look, she looked back to the ceiling. "You're not kidding."

No, she wasn't. Katara wouldn't stand to have her best friend miserable in America. Maybe she didn't see it yet, but America wasn't her home anymore. "Aren't you the one who's always saying that you need your freedom? Here's your chance to take it and end up happy. Your parents might be mad, but they're your parents. As strict and overbearing as they are, they love you and they want to see you happy."

Toph didn't respond, but she settled for massaging Aang's ears. When he buried his face deeper into her chest, she bit back a smile.

Katara caught the smile. "He makes you happy."

Toph's smile softened. He did. "He thinks my boobs are his pillow."

"Are they?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I love him."

Wait, what?

Toph whipped her head to look at Katara. She looked almost as surprised as she was. Katara saw the wide eyed, deer-stuck-in-headlights look on Toph's face and she almost pitied her. She leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Problem solved." With that, she stood and made her way to her room.

No. The problem wasn't solved. The problem regarding what her issue was was solved, but the bigger problem wasn't. Toph almost leaped up to take off after her, but she didn't on account of the young man sleeping on her. What was she going to do? She couldn't just stay here and forget about her life back home. But, she couldn't go back and leave her new life behind, either. She was happy here. She made new friends here. She had adapted into the culture so well. She couldn't leave all that behind. She couldn't leave _him_ behind.

It wasn't supposed to get this deep. It was just supposed to be a fling. She wasn't supposed to fall in love with him.

"Aang?" When he didn't answer, she kissed the top of his head and held him close.

_**.**_

_They didn't make it to the bed that night. Somehow, with her legs wrapped around him and their lips locked, they made it into the kitchen instead as they used the walls as their guide. He had her propped up on the kitchen table with her legs spread wide, open, and inviting for him as he entered her. This was probably unsanitary, but it wasn't like they couldn't clean up._

_She threw her head back as he pounded into her before she hid her face in his neck with a whimper. Tonight, he wasn't soft and gentle or even teasing. Tonight, he was fast, rough, and demanding. She didn't mind at all._

_He gripped her butt cheeks to plunge deeper into her and she made a sound. "Guarda a me." Look at me._

_It took her a minute, but she finally lifted her head to look at him. She would do whatever he wanted her to do at this point. She grabbed his face to kiss him._

_* He broke the kiss to look her dead in the eyes. The pace picked up a bit and the table rocked underneath her. "Sto andando a riempire la bocca con il mio nome e fanno dimenticare la propria." I'm going to fill your mouth with my name and make you forget your own._

_Her breath hitched at his words because she knew that he wasn't lying. This was a promise that he was making to her. From that look in his eyes, it seemed that he wasn't going to stop until his plan came to fruition._

_"Farlo." Do it._

"Toph?"

She started and looked up at him. She forgot that they were at the market. "Yes?"

He looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

She smiled a bit. It was a bit ironic to see the differences between his sex crazed self and his normal self. When she didn't respond, he looked a bit more anxious and her smile grew at the sight. "I'm fine." She was. Because of him. And that scared her so much.

He looked at her for a bit before he kissed the top of her head. Her smile grew. Goodness, she couldn't stop smiling.

"Come on," he said with his own smile as he led her away. "Let's keep going."

_**.**_

She couldn't tell him that she had fallen in love with him. She couldn't even admit it to herself. So, she kept her mouth shut and let him take care of her in every sense of the word. If he didn't say anything, why should she?

_**.**_

He was her best friend. Well, her best friend after Katara and it scared her a bit. They could talk about anything, everything, and nothing under the sun and never grow bored of the conversation. In fact, Toph had grown so comfortable around him that she was able to share the most intimate details of herself. Now, she already trusted him and he trusted her as well, but she found herself sharing with him things that she had never even told Katara.

They were having a lazy day, which consisted of them eating junk food and staying in bed all day with little to no change of scenery. Laying on her stomach on the bed, she had her arms crossed over a pillow and hid her face as he massaged her back. Unsurprisingly, he was good with his fingers.

"Aang," she asked.

He kissed the back of her head in response.

"When did you lose your virginity?"

His fingers started before they stopped. "That was extremely random."

She laughed. Yes, she was being immature, but she could be immature with him. Plus, he was always open to share. She sighed when his fingers slipped under her shirt to massage her lower back. He had been focusing on that area for a while. "You know, this can't be considered as a massage if you only focus on one spot."

His thumbs dug into the small dimples. "Are you complaining?"

She smiled into the pillow as she shook her head and they were quiet.

Slowly, his fingers moved up to knead along her spine. "I was 15."

She coughed and turned her head to rest her cheek on her forearm. She definitely wasn't expecting that. "You were a hot one, weren't you?"

"People kept talking about how amazing it was." The smile could be heard in his voice and she could feel her own growing. "I just wanted to try it out."

"How was it?"

"Eh."

She snorted and shut her eyes, feeling his fingers massage themselves back down before they grazed her sides.

"How old were you?"

"19."

He whistled. "You were a _cold_ one, weren't you?"

She scoffed, but there was a smile on her face. He was lucky that she couldn't punch him. "There's nothing wrong with waiting."

He moved a bit and she guessed that he shrugged. "Very true." His thumbs moved back down to her lower back. He seemed to be transfixed with that area. "What's the story behind that?"

She watched the door. It was looking very inviting at the moment. This was something that she never even told Katara. The fact that she was debating telling him this story bothered her. She bit her lip. "Don't tell anyone."

"You know that I won't."

"Promise me."

"I promise that I won't tell anyone."

She knew that he would never tell anyone anything that she told him without her approval, but she just needed to hear it for herself. She couldn't believe that she was about to tell him this. Nevertheless, the feel of his fingers playing with her back dimples served to relax her.

"It was my first year of college," she began. She couldn't believe that she was actually going through with this. He kissed the top of her head and she exhaled. "I had an argument with my parents about my future and when I'm supposed to take control of the business. All they do is talk about that stupid business and the family name. I couldn't take it anymore- Aang, I swear you better not tell anyone."

He jumped. "I already told you that I wouldn't! Now, keep going. I was into the story."

She rolled her eyes and hesitated. That door seemed to be calling her. "Anyway, I had an argument with my parents. They were talking stupid, so I just went up to my room and locked myself in there for the rest of the day. That night, I decided to run away-"

"I need some popcorn."

"Aang."

"Sorry, sorry," he rushed. "Continue."

She shook her head against her arm, but there was a smile on her face. He was making this easier. "I decided to run away so, I called- Aang, I swear."

"Geez, stop _doing_ that." He sounded like a child. "I promised you that I wouldn't tell."

That door knew her name. She shut her eyes. "I called Katara's brother to pick me up."

A gasp. "This is so scandalous."

"I can't do this."

He laughed and the sound made her smile. "Alright, no more interruptions or commentaries."

Her smile grew at the feel of the pads of his fingers massaging her back. "He picked me up and asked me where we were going. I told him to just drive me around. I didn't tell him why and I was glad that he didn't ask any questions. Hanging out with him was fun and it helped to make me feel a little better, but I couldn't forget what happened. I felt unloved, like my parents didn't care about me. I wanted to feel better." She bit down on her lip. "I told him to take me to a hotel. We had sex."

His hold on her grew protective. "He took advantage of you."

She had never heard him like that before. It was kind of sexy. Nevertheless, she snorted. "Please, as if anyone could take advantage of me. If anything, _I_ took advantage of _him_. I wanted to feel better, so I made him make it happen."

"Like the spoiled brat that you are." They both knew that she was a brat. He found it endearing. "I bet it's awkward when you and Katara are in the same room as him."

She smiled and nodded. "I stayed out with him for the rest of the night until the next afternoon."

"Then, you went home?"

She nodded.

"What did your parents say?"

"They didn't even know that I was gone." She shrugged. "They don't care."

His thumbs on the small of her back stopped and she thought that, maybe, she had said too much and overwhelmed him. Then, she felt him place three kisses onto her back before he rested his forehead there and she let out a breath that she didn't even know that she was holding. She shut her eyes and his fingers resumed massaging, albeit more gently than before. Of course.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

He seemed to be hesitating before speaking. "I care about you, Toph."

She scoffed a bit with a slight smile. "Don't say it because you feel bad for me."

His fingers stopped and one hand moved to remove her hand - her left hand - from under her head to lace their fingers flat on the bed while his other hand slipped under her shirt to hold her stomach. "Dico sul serio." _I mean it._

Her stomach turned. She knew that he did. The hand on her stomach slowly inched upward. "Hai intenzione di farmi vedere quanto vi preoccupate?" _Are you going to show me how much you care?_

The hand holding hers curled it's fingers, prompting hers to do the same. "Mi vuoi lasciare?" _Would you let me?_

She wasn't sure how to answer that question. So, she let the hand over her stomach continue to inch upward before it slipped underneath her bra. He gripped her bare breast.

"Lascia che ti mostri quanto ci tengo," he murmured against her back. _Let me show you how much I care._

Her breath hitched at her throat when he began to gently knead her breast. "Aang," she said quietly. She wasn't sure if she was asking him to stop or to continue. She made a sound and curved into him when his thumb and forefinger found her nipple.

"Sei così sensibile." _You're so sensitive._

"Zitto." _Shut up._

He placed a soft kiss onto the exposed flesh of her shoulder and held her close. "Permettetemi di mostrarvi quanto mi preoccupo." _Allow me to show you how much I care._

She shut her eyes and hid her face in the crook of her elbow. How was she supposed to respond to that?

His fingers on her nipple slowed down before he resumed kneading her breast. He kissed the back of her neck before resting his forehead there. "Per favore." _Please._

Her heart stopped. Was he begging her? She definitely wasn't sure how to respond to that. But, she did know that she finally came to terms with her feelings for him. She was in love with him. However, she didn't know if he felt the same. Katara - and everyone else who knew them - begged to differ. Toph wouldn't ask him to confirm his feelings for her. Any answer he would give would just cause her to grow even more attached, if that was even possible. So, she would let him show her just how much he cared for her because it was the next best thing.

His lips moved to her ear and she nodded into her arm, eyes shut. "Mostrami." _Show me._

**_._**

She couldn't stop. Listening to his heartbeat, that is. She would grow quiet whenever they were alone and let him say whatever he wanted to say. If anyone asked her to recite just one of the stories that he had told her, she would only be able to tell them a fragment of it because she would always be distracted by the sound of his heartbeat. _Because it matched hers. _She was always wondering whether he heard it or not, but she never asked him. She had already grown way too attached.

One morning, they both woke up at roughly the same time. She knew it because he was playing with her hair, but he had no clue because she stayed quiet and was listening to his heartbeat. It was a miracle that she had woken up so early and she was glad that she did.

He sighed and his chest expanded. His heartbeat sped up a little, but it still matched hers. "Ti amo."_ I love you._

What?

Her stomach flipped and her heartbeat quickened, but she was sure that it still matched his. She sat up to look at him. "What did you just say?" Forget speaking Italian in bed. She needed to clear this up.

His eyes widened and he sat up. "I didn't think that you were awake."

"You didn't want me to hear that?"

"I didn't think that you would want to."

"Why not? Why wouldn't I want to hear that?"

"You're leaving next month, Toph."

She blinked and looked down.

He hesitated. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

There was a pause before she looked at him. She wanted to hear it again. She didn't care if she was leaving next month. Hearing this would probably make leaving so much harder. Hearing him say those words, in any language, would never be as beautiful as the sound of their matching heartbeats, but she _knew_ that it would come close.

"Lo ripeto." _Say it again._

It was probably the most selfish thing that had ever come out of her mouth. This was dangerous for both of their hearts. But, she needed to hear it, like the spoiled brat that they both knew she was.

He watched her for a few moments before he took her and brought her close to him. "Ti amo, Toph." _I love you, Toph._

She held his face in both hands. "Ti amo, Aang."_ I love you, Aang._

He didn't kiss her lips. Instead, he took her hand - her left hand - to kiss her palm. That was when she realized that he heard it, too.

**_._**

"What is that?"

"What is what?"

"That _thing_ on your arm."

"You'll have to be more specific-"

Katara gave her a look and Toph shut her mouth with a small smirk. They had begun packing their things up to go back to America next month. If Katara was to be honest, she would admit that she didn't think that Toph was really leaving. How could she? But, that was just Katara's opinion. And Iroh's. And a reluctant Zuko's. And everyone else's at the restaurant. And even Momo's. But, they all digressed.

There was a tattoo on Toph's inner wrist, stretching up to stop right at the middle of her palm. It wasn't big or obnoxious, but it was small and dainty with intricate little details. Like Toph. Katara had to admit that it was nice and that it fit Toph well. But, there was one, small problem.

"Toph, that's an arrow."

She shrugged as she folded a shirt. "So?"

"Aang has one on his arm."

"Isn't that a coincidence?"

"Seriously, Toph."

Toph smiled a bit at her. "He went to get his stretched out. I went with him and I got one. End of story."

"It's not the end of the story if it matches his."

Toph hesitated in her folding. "It's just a tattoo, Katara. I can get it removed. I'm a Beifong, remember?"

Katara watched her. She sounded like she _despised_ that name. "Will you get that removed?"

Slowly, but surely, Toph stopped folding and she sighed. She set the shirt down on her lap and they sat in the silence before she spoke. "He told me that he loves me."

Katara wasn't surprised. She saw the way that he looked at her. "Do you love him?"

A pause.

"Yes." Toph groaned and punched the ground. "I love him so much and I hate it. Sometimes, I hate him for making me love him. I'm not supposed to be in love with him."

Katara felt a small smile growing at her friend's turmoil. She sounded a bit childish. "You're not ready to leave."

"I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave."

"Would you stay for him?"

"_No_. I would stay for _me_."

Katara's smile grew. The day that Toph did anything this drastic for anyone but herself would be recorded into the history books. "Because he makes you happy."

Toph nodded somberly. "Because he makes me happy."

Katara's smile fell. She couldn't stand to see her like this. "Toph, just tell your parents. Ask them."

"Will you please stop with that?"

Katara felt a sudden _pang! _of pity in her heart for the both of them. She knew that she was the one to encourage the relationship between the two, but she didn't think that it would inflict so much pain. As happy as they both made each other, Katara couldn't push the feeling of regret away. "I'm sorry."

Toph picked another shirt up. "So am I."

They both apologized for separate reasons.

_**.**_

She stood on her hands and knees on the bed as he entered her from behind. The bed rocked beneath them as he kissed wherever he could reach on her back. The atmosphere, this time, was different from all of the other times. It was almost like he had something to prove in the way that he moved within her. All of his movements held some sort of purpose behind them. Maybe it was because she was leaving so soon.

She felt his fingers between her legs and she rested her forehead on a pillow with a shuddering sigh. Goodness, he was so good.

He placed three kisses onto the back of her neck before he laced his fingers with hers and rested his forehead on her shoulder. "Sei tu il mio?" _Are you mine?_

She nodded against the pillow as he moved within her. "Yes." When his fingers quickened against her, she groaned and bit the pillow before she lifted her face and looked at him. Right. Italian in bed. "Sì." He raised his face from it's place on her shoulder and rested his forehead on hers. "Io sono tuo. Solo tuo."_ I'm yours. Only yours._

He kissed her and swallowed her moan as his fingers slowed down a bit. "Io sono tuo. Solo tuo."_ I'm yours. Only yours._

She frowned a bit and her heart stopped when he removed himself from her. "Aang?"

He took her and turned her around to place her onto her back. She held his face in both hands as he entered her. "Lo sono qui." _I'm here._

She began placing soft kisses all over his face before she kissed him full on the mouth. The pace slowed down a bit and she held him close. She didn't mind. As she looked into his eyes and their laboring breaths intermingled, she found herself wishing that he would ask her to stay. She knew that he wouldn't because he valued freedom just as much as she did. She wanted him to be selfish for once. They both knew what was coming, but she just _wished_ that he would ask. That he would ask her to stay with _him_. But, if he did ask, she was afraid of what her answer might be.

The pace slowed a bit more. She threw her head back at the feeling of his entire length repeatedly leaving and entering her so slowly.

He moved to place a trail of kisses down her neck before he hid his face there. "Ti amo, Toph," he spoke into her neck. _I love you, Toph._

She held him close and hid her face in his shoulder before wrapping her legs around him. "Ti amo, Aang." _I love you, Aang._

The pace picked up.

_**.**_

It was a rainy day and the two women decided to stay in and do the girliest things that they could think of. This surprised Katara because Toph was never one to indulge in such womanly activities. But, she pushed that thought aside because she had already accepted the fact that Toph wasn't the same ever since she met that boy. So, she took advantage of the situation and was painting her friend's toes on their couch in the silence.

"Do you think that I'm stupid?"

The brush stopped on Toph's nail and Katara looked up. She was about to tell her that she was one of the most brilliant people that she had met and she was sure that Toph would have responded with giving credit to the tutors and teachers that her parents hired for her. But, then she looked at Toph's face and saw that she was seriously conflicted. This could only mean that she was talking about her relationship with Aang and it was a relationship now because _Toph_ told her that she loved him _herself_.

Katara sat up and set the bottle aside. "For falling in love with him?"

Toph nodded.

"It's your heart, Toph. You didn't choose for this to happen."

"We both knew what we were doing. We're both idiots."

Katara's eyes widened and she gave her a look of pity when she looked away. "You're not stupid for this."

Toph didn't look at her and she seemed to be hesitating. "What do you think my parents would say?"

"They wouldn't approve."

"I know." A pause. "I love him."

Katara nodded with a sympathetic smile. "I know. And he loves you."

There was a ghost of a smile on Toph's face. "I know."

Katara picked the bottle of nail polish back up and watched her. As small as the smile was, it was still nice to see that beautiful glow. "Doesn't your happiness matter?"

Toph stayed quiet and Katara went back to painting her toenails.

**_._**

She woke up one morning laying on him with her head over his heart. She felt his fingers combing through her hair and guessed that he had woken up a while ago. He was a morning person, quite the opposite from her, but they balanced each other out. She kissed his chest and he held her closer.

"Volete sentire una storia?" _Would you like to hear a story_?

Well, that was a rather strange and random request, but he was both of those things. She was about to decline and tell him to save it for later so that she could go back to sleep, but she remembered that her time with him was limited. Plus, he was an avid and excellent story teller.

She nodded against his chest.

"C'era una volta-" _Once upon a time-_

"Solo fiabe per bambini iniziano così." _Only baby fairy tales start like that._

"Vuoi sentire o no?" _Do you want to hear it or not?_

She grinned. He was so easy to rile up, but she was intrigued. So, she nodded.

"C'era una volta," he paused and waited for her to interrupt. When she stayed quiet, he continued. "Ho conosciuto una ragazza." _Once upon a time, I met a girl._

"Come si chiamava?" _What was her name?_

"Non mi ricordo. Penso che sia stato il tofu o qualcosa." _I don't remember. I think it was tofu or something._

She laughed. Thank goodness she could understand him now. "Come vi siete conosciuti?" _How did you two meet?_

"Lei si presentò al ristorante che io lavoro a con la sua amica, una mattina. E 'dall'America." _She showed up at the restaurant that I work at with her friend one morning. She's from America._

"Era lei carina?" _Was she pretty?_

"Bella." _Beautiful_.

She sat up, prompting him to do the same and recline onto the wall behind him as she moved to straddle him. "Hai parlato con lei?" _Did you talk to her?_

He nodded with a smile. "Sì. Lei era un po 'fastidioso, però." _Yes. She was a bit troublesome, though._

Toph bit back a smile. "Allora che cosa?" _Then what?_

"Ho passato tutto il tempo che ho potuto con lei e cominciai a insegnare l'italiano." _I spent as much time as I could with her and began teaching her Italian._

"Era lei uno studente veloce?" _Was she a fast learner?_

"Avevo urlare fluentemente in italiano quasi ogni notte nel mio letto circa un mese e mezzo più tardi." _I had her screaming fluently in Italian almost every night in my bed about a month and a half later._

She punched him in the chest and he groaned.

"Lei è stata molto forte, anche." _She was very strong, too._

She gave him a look, but a smile was growing. "Allora?" _Then?_

"Non ho potuto fare a meno di lei. Lei era assolutamente accattivante." _I couldn't get enough of her. She was absolutely captivating._

Toph smiled.

"Ma, poi ha cominciato ad accadere qualcosa di orribile." _But, then something horrible began to happen._

She furrowed her eyebrows. Other than her father threatening to send for her, she didn't remember anything horrible happening. "Che cosa?" _What?_

"Io sono innamorato di lei."_ I fell in love with her._

Oh. That horrible thing. "Hai provato a smettere di voi stessi?" _Did you try to stop yourself?_

He shook his head. "Ti ho detto che lei era affascinante, no?" _I told you that she was captivating, didn't I?_

She smiled a bit. "Come facevi a sapere che eri innamorato di lei?" _How did you know that you were in love with her?_

He hesitated for a few moments before he spoke. "Una mattina mi sono svegliato e lei dormiva tra le mie braccia. Lei non è una persona di mattina e io non volevo svegliarla spostando, così sono rimasto con lei. Le presi la mano e la baciò. Poi, ho sentito il polso. È stato allora che mi sono reso conto che il suo battito cardiaco abbinato la mia." _One morning, I woke up and she was sleeping in my arms. She's not a morning person and I didn't want to wake her by moving, so I stayed with her. I took her hand and kissed it. Then, I felt her pulse. That was when I realized that her heartbeat matched mine._

A pause.

"Penso che si sentiva anche lei." _I think that she felt it, too._

She looked away. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the rest of this story and he could tell. He took her chin and kissed her softly. "Volete sentire il resto?" _Would you like to hear the rest?_

She hesitated before she nodded. "Perché era così orribile?" _Why was this so horrible?_

He kissed her forehead. "Ha dovuto lasciare presto. Aveva una casa in America." _She had to leave soon. She had a home in America._

She wasn't brave enough to correct him and tell him that her home was now with him. That _he_ was her home. "Scommetto che aveva stretti, genitori prepotenti." _I bet she had strict, overbearing parents._

"Come hai fatto a indovinare?" _How did you guess?_

"Posso riferire."_ I can relate._

They were quiet for a moment before she kissed him. Maybe this story needed some fantasy. "Che cosa avresti fatto se lei fosse in grado di rimanere?" _What would you do if she was able to stay?_

He grabbed her hips and held her close. "Io l'amerei. Ogni giorno. Vorrei fare in modo che lei sapeva che lei non ha fatto un errore a stare con me." _I would love her. Every day. I would make sure that she knew that she didn't make a mistake in staying with me._

She held his face and kissed him. "Allora che cosa?" _Then what?_

He took her hand - her left hand - and placed it over his heart. "Io le chiederei di sposarmi. Pensi che lei avrebbe accettato la mia proposta?"_ I would ask her to marry me. Do you think that she would have accepted my proposal?_

If there was ever a time that she hated her parents more than anything, it was right at that moment. She nodded. "Avrebbe dovuto. Senza dubbio."_ She would have. Without a doubt._

"Ma, io non possiedo tanto e lei viene da una famiglia ricca." _But, I don't own much and she comes from a rich family._

"Lei non sarebbe importato. Quello che lei hai dato vale più del denaro e beni materiali." _She wouldn't care. What you've given her is worth more than money and material possessions_.

"La amo." _I love her._

"Lei ti ama." _She loves you._

He kissed her and she held him close as she pressed herself flush against him. It was a bit pathetic how they were blatantly messing with their own hearts with this story, but they didn't care. It was nice to get a glimpse of how their life would be if things played out their way.

She broke the kiss and held his face. "Allora che cosa?" _Then what?_

"Dieci bambini." _Ten kids._

"Non credo che lei avrebbe apprezzato il tuo rovinando del suo corpo."_ I don't think that she would have appreciated your ruining of her body._

He smiled before he placed a kiss onto her neck and hid his face there. "Ci sarebbe solo più ad amare. Io non vedo come questo sta rovinando." _There would just be more to love. I don't see how that's ruining._

She hugged him close. "Cosa succede dopo che lei si trasforma in un Roly Poly?" _What happens after she turns into a roly poly?_

"Glielo rotolare ovunque andiamo e la sua mostra." _I'll roll her everywhere we go and show her off._

She smiled. "Allora che cosa?" _Then what?_

He removed his face from it's place in her neck to look her dead in the eyes. "Guarderemo tutti e dieci i nostri figli crescono e rovinare tutti e cinquanta dei nostri nipoti. Poi, ci invecchiati insieme. Una volta che si muore, saremo sepolti uno accanto all'altro, solo per riunire nell'aldilà e vivere felici e contenti." _We'll watch all ten of our children grow up and spoil all fifty of our grandchildren. Then, we'll grow old together. Once we die, we'll be buried beside each other, only to reunite in the afterlife and live happily ever after._

"Happily ever after?"

He nodded and kissed her cheek. He didn't mention the fact that she slipped into English. It was her native tongue, after all. "The end."

"The end." She hesitated. "I like that story."

There was a pregnant pause and he watched her for a few moments. "I love you."

She smiled a rueful smile. "I love you, too."

_**.**_

Toph paced in the living room frantically and Katara sat on the couch watching her. This was worrying her. She had never seen her friend act like this before. "Toph?"

She kept pacing. "We're leaving in two weeks."

To be honest, Katara had seen this coming two months ago, but she guessed that it finally registered into Toph's brain that she needed to make a decision. And soon. "Toph, sit down and breathe."

She shook her head. "I can't. If I do, I'll explode."

"But, we're renting this place. You might create a trench into the floor."

Toph smiled a bit before she stopped pacing. She hesitated. "I love him."

Katara nodded with her own smile. And he loved her. She knew. "Then, stay with him."

The pacing restarted. "I can't do that. Even though I really want to."

"What's stopping you?"

"Katara, you know what's stopping me."

Katara stood and grabbed Toph's arms. She had never seen her so distressed. "Toph, your parents will understand."

"No," she said as she tried to get away from Katara's grip. "They won't." When Katara's grip remained firm, she began to panic. "Let me go."

"Toph, you can't keep doing this to yourself."

"Excuse me for not wanting to be a disappointment to the Beifong name." She grunted. "Katara, seriously."

"You won't be a disappointment. If they don't want you to be happy, then I don't know what kind of parents they are."

"You obviously don't know my parents." She blinked back the tears and dodged her friends eyes. "Let me go, please."

Katara's eyes widened, but she didn't let her go. She didn't want to think about what would happen of she did. Toph was never this vulnerable. "Toph, just talk to them."

"And say what?" She grunted again as she tried to escape her grasp. "You want me to tell them that I'm staying in Italy because I fell in _love_? Do you think that they'll fall for that? Do you think that they got married out of love? They got married to grow an enterprise. _-grunt- _I wasn't conceived out of love. I was conceived out of a need for an heir to take over their stupid business! I swear, if you don't let me go. -_grunt- _Do you know what kind of stupid deals and promises I had to make with them just to make sure that they wouldn't send someone to come get me?! What do you think they'll say if I tell them that I fell in love with a penniless waiter who lives in some tiny, insignificant town in _Rome_?!" She struggled against Katara's hands. "Damn it, Katara! If I say '_please_' would you let me go?!"

Katara brought her friend in for an embrace. She held Toph closer when she began to cry. "You're 21 years old, Toph. It's time for both you and your parents to realize that." The bell rang and Katara let her go. "I'll get it."

Toph watched her walk away and she sighed with a sniffle. What was she going to do?

"Ciao, Katara," she heard Aang's gleeful voice at the door. Holy hell, she definitely wasn't expecting him. She immediately began wiping her face.

"She's in the living room," Katara said.

Her nose might have been red, but she could tell him that she had a cold or something. Before she could realize that this plan definitely wouldn't work, Aang stepped in.

She dropped her hands. "Hi."

His smile dropped. "Toph, were you _crying_?"

She opened her mouth to tell him that stupid lie, but nothing came out. She blinked back the tears welling up. "Why didn't you call?"

His heart fell at her wavering voice and red face. "We got past calling each other before stopping by a while ago." When her face scrunched up a bit, he was in front of her in an instant before he held her face. "Please. What's wrong?" When she only sniffled and looked down, he sat on the couch and pulled her onto his lap and into his arms.

She immediately curled up in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck before she hid her face there. "I don't want to leave you."

That was when he understood. They tried to push the thought away and ignore it, but it was inevitable and he guessed that it finally got to her. She was leaving in two weeks. He didn't want her to leave him. He wanted to beg and plead for her to stay with him, but he couldn't. All her parents did was control every aspect of her life. How different would he be from them for making her stay with him? She had a whole life back in America. He couldn't ask her to stay no matter how badly he wanted to. So, he held her closer.

"I love you," she said after a moment of silence.

She never said it first. She really was leaving. She was really leaving _him_. He felt her tears on his neck and held her closer. "I love you, too."

Even Katara's heart broke back in the kitchen when she heard Toph's sobs.

**_._**

Aang was a morning person in every aspect of the phrase. Now, as much as Toph liked the attention, she couldn't keep it up. At least, not when they were at her place. Katara had been complaining - nagging, really - about noises that she had been hearing. Questionable noises late at night. Questionable noises late at night that sounded suspiciously like Toph. Especially, whenever Aang stayed the night. Now, Toph loved Aang, but she wasn't going to put up with Katara's embarrassing nagging any longer.

The problem was that he could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. So, the solution to the problem? Kick him out as soon as he woke up. Which was pretty difficult considering that he was already on top of her.

Their lips were locked, moving in sync with one another, and she let him take her legs to hook them at his hips. Her ankles locked at his back. They would just kiss. That's it. Kissing was safe.

His hand gripped her thigh before it slid up under her shirt - his shirt - to grab her naked breast. She broke the kiss with a gasp and he grinned at her before he reclaimed her lips and continued to gently knead her breast. She hesitated before holding him close. Feeling each other up was safe as well, no matter how mischievous his grin was.

The hand on her breast slowed down and ultimately stopped before it slid down to her hip. A finger slipped under the side of her panty and hooked before it began tugging. Now, that wasn't safe.

She broke the kiss and pressed her palms against his chest, holding him back. "We can't."

He gave her a look. "Why?"

"Katara will hear us."

"I thought you said that you weren't afraid of Katara."

"I'm not. She just nags so much."

"I thought that she spent the night at Zuko's."

"She did." When he took her hand - her left hand - and began placing soft kisses onto her wrist and up to the middle of her palm, along her tattoo, she felt her resolve weakening. "She's back."

His lips moved from her palm then, to her thumb before he began kissing up each finger. He obviously didn't care that she was attempting to escape serious nagging and even more serious embarrassment.

"She'll hear us," Toph tried again, albeit weaker. She watched as he kissed up her middle finger before he moved to her ring finger. With this finger, he took his time to kiss before his lips reached the final crease. She smiled when he began observing the finger.

"Eri serio quando hai detto che mi avresti sposato?" _Were you serious when you said that you would marry me?_

"Eri serio quando hai detto che me lo chiede?" _Were you serious when you said that you would ask?_

He kissed her finger. "Sì."

She nodded as he released her hand. "Sì." She took his face into her hands and kissed him before she felt his hand tugging at her panties again. She broke the kiss and slipped from underneath him to stand by the door. "Get out, Twinkles."

He grinned impishly at her before he stood from the bed to approach her. "You _are_ afraid of her." He laughed at her affronted look.

"As if I would ever be afraid of that princess." He laughed again and she smiled. She loved his laugh. He kissed her and she let him take her wrists to pin them above her head. He pulled away to place a series of soft kisses down her neck and she bit back a sigh. "Aang."

"Toph." His hand slipped into her panties and he fully cupped her.

She rested her forehead on his shoulder, but she didn't fight against him. "I'm serious."

"So, am I." He spread her lips and she made a sound. "Tell me to stop."

As if she would _actually_ tell him to stop. "It's early. We'll wake Katara up."

"That means that you'll have to be quiet." He was mocking her. They both knew that she was loud. He began massaging her clitoris and her hips bucked. "Sensitive?"

"You weren't exactly gentle last night."

"You weren't exactly complaining."

"She'll hear us and I'm the one who's going to have to deal with her nagging."

"Let her hear."

This needed to end. She was about to argue before he finally raised his head from it's place in her neck to rest his forehead on hers. The words died on her lips at the look in his eyes. _Oh_. He was serious.

"Voglio che sentire questo." His fingers quickened against her. _I want her to hear this._

Her breathing grew uneven at the feeling of his fingers and at his words. He was speaking in Italian. That meant that there was no turning back from this point on.

"Voglio che per sentire quello che sto facendo per voi," he continued. "Voglio che tutto questo blocco di sapere quello che sto facendo per voi. Con il tempo ho finito con te, voglio che tutti entro un raggio di cinque miglia a conoscere il mio nome." _I want her to hear what I'm doing to you. I want this whole block to know what I'm doing to you. By the time I'm done with you, I want everyone within a five mile radius to know my name._

Her breathing grew heavy and a whimper escaped her. "Aang-" He kissed her and finally released her wrists. Her hands immediately grabbed for his face to deepen the kiss. He walked them both forward, his fingers slowing down a bit, before her back pressed against the wall behind her. She felt his hand grip underneath her thigh before he hooked her knee on top of his wrist, holding her leg up against the wall. She broke the kiss, but she kept his face in her hands, her harsh breaths grazing his lips, and her hips moving against his fingers.

"Se Katara ha un problema, dille di venire a me, perché non si sta andando ad essere tranquillo." She quietly whimpered at this and he smiled a bit at her. His fingers quickened. "Io voglio che tu sia così forte che la tua voce crescerà rauca. Voglio che tutto questo blocco di sentire le scosse dei vostri orgasmi." _If Katara has a problem, tell her to come to me because you're not going to be quiet. I want you to be so loud that your voice will grow hoarse. I want this whole block to feel the tremors of your orgasms._

A quiet moan slipped past her lips and he grinned. "Sta per uccidermi." _She's going to kill me._

His fingers quickened and she shut her eyes. "Dille di venire da me. Le dirò esattamente quello che ho fatto per te e lei scusare voi." _Tell her to come to me. I'll tell her exactly what I did to you and she'll excuse you._

Finally, she opened her eyes to meet his. There was a slight smile on his face, but he was completely serious. His nose brushed hers as her hips moved to meet his fingers and they quickened against her sensitive nub.

She moaned. Was that what he wanted to hear?

He held her leg up higher against the wall. An even louder moan escaped her and he echoed after her with a nod as if he approved.

"Ti sto dicendo che, in questo momento, che ho intenzione di scoparti. Mi capisci?" _I'm telling you, right now, that I'm going to fuck you. Do you understand me?_

She nodded against his forehead before he slipped a finger into her and she groaned. "Sì."

He slipped two more fingers into her and she hid her face in his neck. "Ho intenzione di prendersi cura di voi. Capito?" _I'm going to take good care of you. Understood?_

She was going to get it from Katara, but this was definitely worth it. She raised her face from it's place in his neck to kiss him before she nodded, her nose brushing his. "Capito." _Understood_.

_**.**_

He was a simple man, one of the simplest people that she had ever met and probably, one of the most beautiful people that she had ever met. He possessed true beauty that shined from the inside out and made him radiant. He was content with the small house that he lived in. He had a beat up bike named "Appa" that he wouldn't let her replace because she was a "Beifong". He had a strange pet named "Momo". And worst of all, he hated school. As soon as he graduated high school, he was done with the education system and went straight to work.

"I already know everything that I need to know about this world," he told her as they sat on the front steps of her apartment one day. "I don't want big money. Just some food and somewhere to sleep."

She felt her heart expand a bit when he told her this. He definitely wouldn't fit into her world back in America. But, honestly, that wasn't her world anymore.

"I'm stuck in the education system until I take over my parents' business," she replied.

He made a face. He looked a bit _disgusted_ at the thought of such a future. "I'm so sorry."

She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. "My father would hate you."

_**.**_

It was two in the morning when Katara found her sitting in the living room, staring at the phone. "Toph?" When she didn't answer, she walked over to sit beside her.

Toph didn't look at her. "I've been here since ten. I was going to call my parents. I was going to ask them to stay, but I kept punking out."

Katara placed an arm over her shoulder. "You should have called me. I would have dialed for you."

_**.**_

She woke up one morning and he wasn't there. This was his house, it wasn't like he could run out on her, not that she thought that he would. She felt the space beside her. It was still pretty warm, which meant that he didn't leave too long ago.

She grabbed his shirt from off of the ground and slipped it on before she made her way to the door. As soon as she opened it, she was hit by the smell of food. He was here. She made her way to the kitchen was met with the sight of his naked back in front of the stove. Yes, she had chefs back in America that her parents hired to cook for her, but they couldn't compare to one of his meals. She would miss them. She would miss him.

She pushed those thoughts aside and sat at the counter. She gazed at him appreciatively. "Good morning."

He didn't turn around to face her. "Good morning."

She blinked. "You're acting weird."

"Am I?"

"Yes." He didn't answer and she frowned. "And it's not cute."

"Oh." He finally turned around. "Am I supposed to act cute for you just because you're leaving?"

"Acting like an ass won't change anything!"

They glared at each other before he finally sighed and cradled his face in his hands. "Così stupido," he murmured to himself. _So stupid._

She walked over to him and punched him in the chest. "Don't call me stupid in Italian like I can't understand you, stupid!"

"I wasn't calling you stupid," he exclaimed as he massaged his chest. For such a small woman, she had a lot of strength. "I was calling myself stupid, stupid!"

"Well, good because you are!"

They glared at each other before smiles slowly slid onto their faces. He took her face into his hands. "I'm sorry."

Her smile grew. "I forgive you."

He kissed her forehead. She wouldn't apologize. Her pride wouldn't allow it. "I love you."

She hugged him and hid her face in his chest. "I love you, too."

They were quiet for a moment in each others arms. At this exact time, next week, she would be back in classes, only to go back to her parents to get suffocated and buried under their plans for the business. Suddenly, she didn't want the food anymore. She wanted him.

"Will you miss me," she asked.

"So much."

"Show me how much."

_**.**_

Being considered a matchmaker would make most people happy. Who wouldn't be glad and feel a bit prideful that they helped someone find their soul mate? Yet, as Katara watched Toph and Aang, she felt absolute regret. She felt regretful about this before, but now because they were leaving in just one week, it was killing her.

They were in the kitchen and Aang was cooking them a meal. Apparently, he had stolen a recipe from his boss, made it better, and just had to share it with them.

Toph stood beside him in front of the stove with her arms wrapped around one of his and her head was on his shoulder. She didn't know how to cook on account of having all of her meals cooked for her. She wouldn't mind having all of her meals cooked by him. She wouldn't mind learning from him, either. "What would that old man say about you stealing his recipe?"

"He couldn't say anything because it's not his." A pause. "Not anymore, anyway."

"What would he say about you making 'improvements' to his recipe?"

There was a pause.

"You're not against beating old men up, either. Are you?"

She laughed and hugged his arm closer. Katara felt her heart constricting. Why did they have to be so cute? They were making this guilt thing so much harder.

"I love you," he said quietly.

She placed three kisses on the tattoo on his arm. "I love you, too."

That was it. She couldn't take it anymore. Katara stood up. "Stop it! You're killing me! Be cute when I'm not bound by my hunger to watch you two be adorable!"

They looked at each other, then to Katara. Toph was the first to speak. "Are you ok?"

"Maybe the hunger is getting to her." Aang gave her a kind smile. "It's almost done. Don't worry."

Katara almost ripped her hair out. "Stop being so caring when I've ruined precious lives! I can't stay here anymore! Call me when the food is done!" With that, she left the room.

Toph looked up at Aang. "Do you think she's jealous?"

He shrugged with a grin. "I thought that Zuko was taking care of her."

"Oh, shut up, both of you!"

_**.**_

She woke up in the middle of the night cold. She never woke up cold - not with Aang sleeping beside her. With her eyes still shut, she snuggled deeper into his space only to find it empty. Immediately, her eyes snapped open and she sat up.

She looked to the clock and it read _'3:37 a.m.'. _Where could he have gone at this time? She felt the space and found that, unlike the last time he was gone, it was now cold. He must have been gone for a while. She sighed. She was so tempted to go back to sleep. It was almost four, for goodness' sake. But, she couldn't just leave him alone, wherever he was, so she shuffled out of the bed and began her exploration.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to search very hard. She found him in the living room - her first stop - pacing a bit frantically. She stood at the doorframe and stifled a yawn. "What's your problem?"

He stopped to look at her and made a move to approach her before he hesitated, shook his head, and resumed pacing.

Her brows furrowed. He was acting strange, which was saying something because he was already one strange man. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head with a scoff. "Everything."

She watched him pace back and forth. He seemed to be walking and turning faster now that he was made aware of her presence. How he had that much energy at this hour, she had no clue. "What are you talking about?"

Once again, he stopped to look at her and made a move to approach her. This time however, he stayed put and hesitated for a full minute before he finally spoke. "I want to ask you to stay. With me."

She took in a quick breath and pursed her lips. Now, she was a bit more awake. "I want you to ask."

He bit hard on his lip, as if to prevent himself from speaking. "It would be selfish of me to ask. But, I want to be _so_ selfish with you."

She nodded. "I want you to be selfish with me." At her words, he resumed his pacing and head shaking. She wanted to go back to sleep, but she wasn't about to go back without him. She just didn't know what to say to calm him down. "Why are you thinking about this?"

"You're leaving in three days."

When he stopped pacing and dropped himself onto the couch, she gulped. It was his turn to break and she wasn't good with this emotional stuff. So, she made her way over to sit beside him.

When she sat, he hid his face in his hands with a heavy sigh. "Toph, you make me so happy."

She blinked back the tears threatening to well up. She swore that she would never be one of 'those girls' who cried at everything some boy said, but he made her that way. He wasn't just some boy - not anymore, at least. She knew that if she never met him, she would have never become so soft. He made her so happy, happier than anyone else.

"You make life tolerable."

He snickered and she bit back a smile. "I love you."

She knew. "I love you, too."

"I want to ask you to stay with me," he began hesitantly. "I know you'll be happier here and I want you to be happy. But, I can't cause friction between you and your parents. I know that'll make you miserable. I can't take you away from your life in America. I want to be _so selfish _with you, Toph, but I can't."

He gave another sigh and at that moment, she felt responsible for every single emotion that they both felt. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I wish you could ask me."

"I can."

"I wish you would."

"Would you say 'yes'?"

"You know that I would."

He shook his head and stood. "That's the problem. I know that you would say 'yes'. I _want_ you to say 'yes'. But, that would just cause more problems for you and your parents."

When he sat back down with a groan and rested his head on the couch, she looked at a clock._ '4:15 a.m.' _She would have had more to say if it wasn't so early/late. She rolled her eyes. It was definitely too early to be feeling all of this, but he looked so conflicted that her heart broke for the both of them. So, she stood on her knees and hugged him into her bosom, sighing when he returned the embrace. "We're idiots."

"Is that the best you can come up with this late?"

It was. She rested her cheek on top of his head and yawned. She shut her eyes and hugged him closer. His head was a pretty good pillow. "I thought it was early."

He laughed a bit.

She smiled and hugged him closer. "What was the name of that girl you fell in love with again?"

"Toph Beifong."

"I thought it was 'tofu'."

"Or something."

_**.**_

On their last day, they went about their business as they normally would have. They met at the restaurant for breakfast and left after his shift to spend the day together. But, once they arrived at his house that evening, they both silently vowed to make sure that the other wouldn't forget them.

As soon as the door shut, she grabbed his face to kiss him and he lifted her up to hook her legs around his hips. He pressed her against the door. He was ready to make love to her right then and there, but he steeled himself because it was their last night together. The kiss gradually slowed down and grew sensual. She quietly moaned into his mouth and she held him close as he made his way up the stairs. They would take their time with each other.

That night, he was extra slow and extra gentle; slower and gentler than they had ever been before. They both took extra care to touch and feel every part of each other before they would be forced to separate. They did this over and over and over again until they brought each other over the edge over and over and over again.

She lay on top of him, attempting to steady her breathing before she remembered that she had to leave the next day. She moved to straddle him and slowly slid herself onto him. He groaned as she did so and he sat up on his arms."Di nuovo?" _Again?_

She began rolling her hips and another groan escaped his lips. She held his face with both hands and kissed him. "Parto domani. Ti faccio tutte le volte che voglio." _I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll have you as many times as I please._

He didn't argue with that. Her panting breaths brushed his lips and he watched her as she moved. His hands were everywhere. They moved from her cheeks, down to her breasts, her stomach, hips, and thighs. He wanted her to remember this.

"Ti amo," she said against his lips before she threw her head back with a sigh. _I love you_.

He took her hand and began placing a trail of kisses along her tattoo. "Ti amo, Toph," he spoke against her palm as he watched her._ I love you, Toph._

He studied her for a few more moments before he sat up and gripped her hips. He _needed_ her to remember this. "Ti piace questa," he said before he began directing her hips movements. _Like this._

Her breathing grew into short, whimpering pants before she hid her face in his neck. When one of his hands left her hip and she felt his fingers working on her wet center, she hugged him close. "Non dirmi cosa fare," she managed to speak into his neck. _Don't tell me what to do._

He let out a short chuckle. When she held him closer and her hips quickened, he kissed her shoulder and let her ride her orgasm out. At the sound of her slow sighs, he took her arm and began placing soft kisses along its length before his lips reached her palm. "Non mi sognerei mai di esso."_ I wouldn't dream of it._

He took her chin and kissed her gently before he flipped them over so that he was on top. The pace was slow and gentle as he moved in and out of her because she was still tender.

Their eyes connected.

Suddenly, they both remembered that she was leaving. Tomorrow. And that they would probably never see each other ever again.

He picked the pace up.

When the bed began to rock, he took her leg and held it up at an angle. She threw her head back with a moan and he made a sound at the back of his throat. He wanted her to remember _him_.

He watched her as he pounded into her. He couldn't be slow and gentle anymore. She needed to remember this. She needed to remember how their skin felt pressed up against each other. She needed to remember their smell. She needed to remember _him_.

He placed three kisses onto her calf and she let out a soft sigh. "Ti ricorderai di me?" _Will you remember me?_

Suddenly, she felt his thumb rubbing her sensitive nub mercilessly. "Mi ricorderò sempre di te," she choked out. His thumb quickened and so did his member. She shut her eyes. Goodness, he was so good to her. "Aang," she cried out at the sound of the rocking bed. _I'll always remember you._

He kissed her and she held him. She never wanted to let him go. She never wanted him to stop. She broke the kiss to look into his eyes. She loved him so much. "Non ti scordar di me." _Don't forget me._

"Come se potessi." _As if I could._

He hid his face in her neck and she held him close as he continued moving. Against her neck, he whispered to her how important she was to him. He told her how much she meant to him. When he said this, he spread the leg he held wider and she gasped his name out. He told her how beautiful she sounded. He told her what a difference she had made in his life. He told her how much he loved her. He told her how he would _always_ love her.

She felt her heart break and repair with each word. Soon enough, her pants grew a bit shallow and her walls began to clench around him. He whispered something that sounded like an "_I love you_" before she came and brought him over with her.

They stayed in each others arms like this for a few moments, just basking in the feeling of their orgasms and of the other's presence. She felt the tears building up behind her eyes and she was glad that, for once, he wasn't looking at her. There were only hours standing between them now. She wasn't supposed to grow this attached to him, but she did and she ended up falling in love with him. She didn't want to leave him. Goodness, she loved him so much.

She hid her face in his neck and kissed it. "Di nuovo. Per favore." _Again. Please._

He did as she said.

_**.**_

The next morning, she woke up with her head over his heart and his fingers massaging her hand. Their heartbeats still matched. She looked at the clock. They had an hour before he had to go to work and she needed to leave. She felt tears building up. She couldn't let him see her cry, so she shut her eyes. "Aang?"

He kissed the top of her head in response.

She took in a teary breath. "Ti mancherò?" _Will you miss me?_

He planted a firm kiss onto the middle of her palm. "Sì. Tu sai che lo farò." _Yes. You know that I will._

His lips began trailing soft kisses along her tattoo and she burrowed her face into his chest before she kissed it. "Puoi mostrarmi quanto ti sono mancato?" _Can you show me how much you'll miss me?_

He caught the heavy tone in her voice before he felt a tear. "Nessun problema." _No problem._

_**.**_

The time for departure had come and Toph was strangely serene. It was as if she had come to terms with the fact that she would never see Aang, the people at the restaurant, that stupid, junky bike, his weird cat/lemur/bunny thing, or speak Italian ever again. She felt an itch on her cheek and she reached to scratch it. She was crying.

"Toph?"

She wiped her cheek and stood up when Katara walked into the room. "Ready."

Katara watched her warily. "Toph, you don't have to go. Just stay. I'll deal with your parents-"

"It's fine." She painted a smile on. "See?" When Zuko walked into the room carrying some of Katara's luggage, her smile fell. Did his shift end already? Where was Aang?

Zuko caught on. She may have been scary, but she made his friend happy and whether he wanted to admit it or not, she had become his friend, too and he didn't want to see her cry. "My uncle let us out early. Aang is on his way."

Katara shook her head. Toph couldn't seriously be going through with this. "I'm serious. If it's your parents you don't want to deal with, I'll deal with them for-"

"I said that it was fine-" The bell rang and her heart stopped. She practically ran to the door before she swung it open. She swore that the breath got knocked out of her when she saw him. A grin full of relief broke out on her face. "Aang-"

He immediately grabbed her face and kissed her. She had no complaints and didn't fight it. He took her hands and placed them at his neck before he gripped her thighs to lift her up and hook her legs at his hips. When he kicked the door shut and pushed her up against it, she held him close and deepened the kiss.

He broke the kiss and began placing soft ones down her neck. She shut her eyes and held him close. "Perché ci hai messo così tanto tempo?" _What took you so long?_

"Appa agiva su." _Appa was acting up._

"Ti ho detto di lasciarmi compro un altro." _I told you to let me buy you another one._

He stopped to look at her. "Non è possibile acquistare un'altra Appa." _You can't buy another Appa._

She smiled down at him and held his face. "E 'una bici, Aang." _He's a bike, Aang._

He smiled. "Almeno, non si riferiscono a lui come un 'si' come Zuko fa."_ At least, you don't refer to him as an 'it' like Zuko does._

"It is an _'it_'."

They whipped their heads to find Zuko and Katara standing there. Katara looked amused. Zuko looked a bit miffed that he was being called out for calling that _stupid_ bike exactly what it was. Before Zuko could say anything else, Katara took him and led him into the other room. They needed to say goodbye.

Toph looked back to Aang and kissed him softly. She really didn't want to do this. "Will you remember me?"

He carefully set her down. "Of course. Will you remember me?"

She held her hand up to show him her - _their_ - tattoo. "I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to."

He took her hand and traced the design before he kissed the middle of her palm, right where the point of the arrow stopped. "I love you."

Oh. This was real. "I love you, too." She was really leaving. Sure, she could talk to him over the phone or video chat him, but it wasn't the same. After spending five months with him, he had become her home and his family had become hers. She blinked the tears back before she poked his chest. "You better not marry anybody."

"You don't need to worry about that."

"Neither do you."

He kissed her palm one last time before he held her face to kiss her deeply and slowly. She could feel the '_goodbye_' and the '_never again'_ in that kiss. She held him close. She could feel the regret and the '_only you_' in it. But, she also felt the love. She felt the _'forever_' and '_always_' in his kiss and her knees buckled a bit.

He pulled away and kept her face in his hands. "I love you, Toph."

She swallowed. It was really happening. "Ti amo, Aang."_ I love you, Aang._

They stood there in front of the door, him holding her face and her gripping at his shirt, surrounded by luggage, with only the sounds of the television and Zuko and Katara's voices in the background.

"See you later, Toph."

She almost laughed. He didn't believe in goodbyes. Goodbyes meant that you would never see that person ever again. 'See you later's meant exactly what it said: that you would see that person again. She wasn't so sure if that would apply to them. "See you later, Aang."

After that, they packed all of the luggage into the car waiting for them outside. They bid their final adieus, but they didn't touch. It would make things harder than they already were.

The car ride to the airport was silent. It wasn't chatty or filled with music and junk food like it was when they first arrived. Katara looked at Toph. She was tracing the tattoo. Katara felt her own tears building up. This was her best friend. "Toph?"

She didn't answer, but she rested her head on Katara's shoulder. They were quiet for a few moments before a quiet sniffle was heard. Katara held her close as the tears poured out and the heartbreaking sound of sobs filled the car.

Katara cried the whole time as she was saying goodbye. She cried as they put the luggage into the car, as they shut the doors, as they waved, and as they drove off, but Toph didn't shed a tear. Most likely, because she didn't want Aang to see her cry. Now, as they were reaching the airport, reality was probably setting in and hit her hard. So, Katara held her friend close and let her cry.

When they finally reached the airport and were making their way in, Katara stopped mid-walk. What kind of best friend was she? She couldn't just let this happen. She dropped her luggage on the ground and looked to Toph. "Listen to me."

Toph looked at her.

"You can't do this."

Toph rolled her eyes and resumed walking. "If I've already accepted this, why can't you?"

"Because you haven't." Katara grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking. "You can't seriously be going through with this. I've never seen you happier than when you were with him. I can't let you throw all that away because you're afraid of your parents."

Toph's jaw dropped. What an insult. "I am not afraid of them!"

Katara took her phone out and held it between them.

Toph could only stare at it. She felt her fingers twitching before she reached out to take it. Then, she stopped. She looked up to see Katara's disappointed face. "When did you get ballsy?"

"I'm _your_ friend."

There was a pause.

"Will you dial for me?"

**_._**

"I'll be right back with your order." Aang did a bit of a bow before he walked away from a customer, but he didn't have his customary smile on. How could he? Toph had gone back home. He wasn't even able to go to the airport with them because he had to get back to work. But, he was glad for that. If they had dragged it on, it would have been harder than it already was.

By next week, he would be saying that he would forget about her, but it would be in vain. He couldn't. It was his fault. He kissed her first. He knew what he was getting into.

Zuko clapped a hand on his shoulder and looked at him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Aang shrugged. "I'm fine-" Zuko gave him a look. Could he tell that he was lying? "What?"

"Toph."

"What about her?"

"She's here."

"No, she isn't."

"I _swear_ she is."

Aang gave him a look. "Don't you think it's a little too soon for jokes? She left this morning."

"I'm telling you she's _here_."

"No, she isn't. She-" Zuko grabbed his head and made him look at the door. Holy hell, she was here. "Toph-"

"Shut up." She seemed out of breath and her voice was a bit shaky. "I love that stupid, ugly bike that you won't throw away. I love that weird lemur/cat/bunny pet you have. I love how much you hate school. I love how much more brilliant you are compared to all of the university students I know. I love how you steal Iroh's recipes and make them better."

A sudden _"What?!" _was heard in the silence. It seemed that they had an audience. A "_You're lucky that I want to see how this ends!" _followed.

Toph continued undeterred and shakily. "I love how kind you are. I love how selfless you are. I love how you're always worrying about me even when I threaten to beat you up. I love how you know everything about me and still love me. I love you. So much. I spoke to my mother. I'm staying. You make me happier than anyone else." She stomped her foot and glared at his silence. "You better open your mouth and say something. That's the cheesiest thing that I've ever said to anyone. If you don't answer me right now, _I swear I'll kick my foot so far up your ass that you'll have my shoe for teeth!"_

"She's not lying." Zuko pushed him forward and everyone made way for him as he walked up to her in the silence.

Aang was struck dumb. He didn't think that he would see her again, much less have her spouting off declarations of love in the middle of his workplace. He pushed the audience out of his mind and focused on her. "Toph, you don't have to stay for me."

"When did I ever say that I was doing this for you? You make me happy. I'm staying for me."

"That's a bit selfish, don't you think?"

"What's your point?"

"You're a spoiled brat."

"You love me, though, _Baldy_."

He grinned. He did. He looked back to see Iroh standing there looking rather smug. "Will I get fired for this?"

"No," he said happily. "In fact, everyone gets a raise for the show and because she lost our bet."

Toph completely forget about that. "Wait, what-"

Aang grabbed her face and kissed her. The restaurant cheered.

_**.**_

Three months had passed since Toph decided to stay in Italy and all was well. She had moved in with Aang and began attending a university close by, majoring in architecture. Her relationship with her parents had also gotten better. Her moving to Italy had forced them to see the error of their ways. She was even able to start working on the bike that she promised to build Aang. It was safe to say that life was good.

She sat at a table in the restaurant, waiting for Aang's shift to end before her phone rang. She picked it up without checking. "Ciao."

_"Ciao, Toph!"_

Toph smiled. "Hey, Katara. What's up?"

_"Can't a girl check up on her best friend without something having to be up?"_

"Not when it's the middle of the day and you're working for the Beifongs."

_"That's your family, Toph. I don't understand how you put up with them for 21 years. They're a bit unreasonable."_

Toph's smile grew. "You wanted to take my place and you got it."

_"Yeah, you're right."_ A pause._ "Alright, I did call for something."_

Toph nodded to herself. "What is it?"

_"I just wanted to warn you."_

"Alright."

_"Don't freak out."_

"I won't."

_"Toph, I'm serious!"_

"So am I!"

_"Okay."_ The smile could be heard in Katara's voice._ "Your parents want to meet Aang."_

"What?!" Everyone turned to look at her, but she ignored them.

_"You said that you wouldn't freak out, Tophy."_

She ignored the 'Tophy'. "Why is this happening? When? How do you know?"

_"They want to meet the boy who took you away. I heard them talking one night as I was leaving the building, but I'm not sure when they want to see him."_

Toph bit her lip as she contemplated the different escape routes she could take. Then, she sighed. She was done running. "It can't be that bad, right?"

_"I don't think so. Your mom seemed pretty excited. I told her how hot he was and she got all giggly. It was pretty disturbing."_

Toph smiled. "What about my dad?"

_"Along with taking you away, having a giggly wife just solidified your father's vendetta against Aang."_

Toph laughed and she saw Aang on the other side of the restaurant. "This should be interesting."

_"I agree. How do you think Aang will take it?"_

Toph pictured him red faced and fumbling under her father's fierce glare, coupled with her mother's giggly self.

Then, she pictured him being charming, cooking meals, telling jokes, and making her father reluctantly laugh. Winning them over and getting her hand in marriage. Having all of those kids. Growing old together.

Her smile softened. "He'll be fine."

* * *

* "_I'm going to fill your mouth with my name and make you forget your own."_ I got this from a Pablo Neruda poem and switched it up to make it fit.

Original: "I want to fill my mouth with your name." - Pablo Neruda

* Translations were taken from Google Translator. Don't judge me if they're off. Judge Google!

This is the _**longest**_ thing that I've ever written. Would you believe me if I said that I did it all on my phone? Ugh, I've gotten so addicted to texting that I can't even use computers or pen and paper anymore. It's kinda sad. Anyway, shout out to iPhone 4s!


End file.
